Pain au chocolat
This recipe is unique as I haven't tampered with it - this is the pure, unadulterated recipe I followed as I am not a professional baker and totally unqualified to make pain au chocolat recipe adjustments! That said, I did make one change - Adam recommends proofing in a cold oven with a tray of hot water underneath. When I tried this, it melted my croissants. So, this time, I turned on my oven and rested the tray of pastries on top. Much safer.I bought my chocolate sticks on Amazon (I know, I live in France and I ended up buying them Amazon, I was horrified too but honestly I don't think anyone bakes pain au chocolat for fun here) where they're sold in small packs or in bulk.The actual bake is almost unbelievably quick - a mere 20 minutes after the overnight resting, the two-hour proof, and all that muscle-building rolling and folding.Only proof the pain au chocolat if you have time to bake them the same day. If you don't have time, put the shaped pastries in the freezer (if you put them in the fridge, they'll still grow).
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 425 g strong white bread flour or T55
- 135 g water
- 135 g whole milk
- 40 g caster sugar
- 10 g instant yeast or dried yeast which needs activating
- 10 g salt
- 250 g unsalted butter
- 30 dark chocolate sticks you can buy these online
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
For the dough
- If your yeast needs activating, heat the milk and water in a pan until lukewarm. Pour it into a jug, and add the yeast and a teaspoon of the sugar. Mix together and leave to becoming bubbly and frothy, around 15 minutes. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and add the frothy yeast liquid. Mix with a wooden spoon to form a thick and sticky dough.If your yeast is instant, just put everything in a bowl and mix to make a dough.
- Tip it onto a floured surface and knead for a minute or so until smooth. Tuck it into a ball, place in a bowl and cover with cling film. Put it in the fridge overnight.
Preparing the dough and butter
- The next day, when you're ready to go, take the block of butter out of the fridge to soften for about 20 minutes.
- The dough will be super soft and airy, it might even be overflowing out of the bowl. Dump it onto the floured work counter and flatten it to remove the air. Place it in on a baking tray, cover in cling film and place in the freezer to firm while you sort out the butter.
- Time to bash the butter! If you're ok with deafening your neighbours, take a rolling pin to it straight away. Otherwise, place a towel under a chopping board then put the butter on top. Flatten the butter and trim the edges so they are straight, put them on top and smush them in. Cover it in baking parchment and leave it in the fridge until you need it.
Rolling and layering the dough
- Time to roll the dough. Roll it out to be twice the width of the butter. Peel the baking parchment off the butter and place it in the centre of the dough. Fold the dough over and around the butter and seal it inside.
- Roll it out, again horizontally. Trim the edges again, place them in the centre then fold one end over them, then the other end on top - this creates three layers and is called a turn.
- Rotate the dough 90° and roll out again in a long thin sheet. Trim and fold as before, then wrap in cling film and chill or freeze for 20 minutes to ensure the butter doesn't melt.
- After its little chill-out time, repeat the rolling and folding one more time. In total you will have folded it three times - three turns. With it still folded, wrap it in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Shaping the pain au chocolat
- Roll out the croissant dough until thin and flat into a large rectangle, then divide into smaller rectangles - roughly 8 x 16 cm. Place a chocolate stick along the short end of one, roll over the pastry until it's covering the chocolate. Place the next chocolate stick next to it and keep rolling. Place all the pain au chocolat on two lined baking trays.
- Once you've finished all the pain au chocolat, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (ideally on an eco setting if you have it). If you don't want to bake them all immediately, put some in plastic tubs in the freezer.Place the tray of pastries - maximum 6-8 pastries depending on the size of your tray - on top of the oven and cover with a tea towel. You may want to open the oven door to really warm the room.
- Leave the pain au chocolat to proof for an hour, then check on them. If they are soft and jiggly, they are ready to bake. If not, leave them for a bit longer. If there is any butter leakage, bake them straight away, quickly brushing the beaten egg all over the tops and edges.
Baking
- Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your pain au chocolat. They will continue to rise and turn golden and crisp. Remove from the oven when they look just like the pastries you see in bakeries!