Pain au Chocolat (Chocolate Croissants)
This pain au chocolat recipe yields airy, flaky French croissants filled with delightful chocolate. While they demand some effort, using a bread machine significantly simplifies the process. Your whole family is sure to adore these treats!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2 ¼ cups bread flour
- 2 tablespoons instant nonfat dry milk
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 9 ounces semisweet chocolate chunks
Instructions
- Pour water into a bread machine pan; add flour. Sprinkle milk powder over flour. Place sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons of softened butter into the corners of the pan. Make a small indent in the top of the dry ingredients and place yeast in the indent. Run the bread machine on the basic dough setting.
- Meanwhile, lay out a sheet of waxed or parchment paper. Shape the remaining 1/2 cup of butter into a 3×5-inch rectangle on the waxed paper; wrap and chill until ready to use.
- Remove butter from the refrigerator and allow to soften while you roll out dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; roll into a 8×12-inch rectangle. Place butter on half of the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border of dough on 3 sides. Fold the other half of dough over butter and press the edges firmly to seal.
- Roll the dough out to a 6×14-inch rectangle. Fold the dough in thirds from the long ends, as you would fold a business letter. Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Place it onto a lightly floured surface so that the folded edge faces you. Roll the dough out again into a 6×14-inch rectangle, and fold into thirds. Cover with plastic and chill for 20 minutes.
- Repeat step 5, then chill the dough for 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolk and milk; set aside. Grease two baking sheets.
- Roll dough out into a 12×21-inch rectangle. Cut dough into thirds in both directions, to make 9 rectangles. Divide chocolate among the rectangles. Lightly brush egg yolk mixture around the edges of each piece. Starting at a short end, roll each piece of dough around the chocolate; press the edges together to seal.
- Place the croissants onto the prepared baking sheets; cover with greased plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until they have doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Brush the top of the pastries with the remaining egg yolk mixture.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer croissants to wire racks. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- To reduce the ‘day of’ preparation time, make the dough and refrigerate the unbaked rolls overnight. Pull them out 1 hour before baking in the morning to come to room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 1326kcalCarbohydrates: 153gProtein: 16gFat: 78gSaturated Fat: 47gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 337mgPotassium: 80mgFiber: 6gSugar: 118gCalcium: 287mgIron: 3mg
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