Pain au Chocolat, Two Ways

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A true laminated-dough chocolate croissant — shatteringly crisp outside, honeycombed and buttery inside, wrapped around two batons of dark chocolate. The full version is a two-day weekend project with an overnight dough rest and three letter folds; the shortcut uses a good all-butter puff pastry so you can have warm pains au chocolat in under an hour. Both use the same chocolate, the same egg wash, and the same bake.

Ingredients

• 500 g bread flour (about 4 cups), plus more for dusting
• 55 g granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
• 11 g fine sea salt (2 tsp)
• 10 g instant yeast (1 tbsp)
• 40 g unsalted butter, very soft
• 280 g whole milk, cold (about 1 1/4 cups)

• 280 g high-fat European-style unsalted butter, cold (10 oz / 2 1/2 sticks)

• 200 g dark chocolate, 60–70%, cut into 16 batons (or use bakery chocolate batons)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar (optional, for syrup glaze)
• 2 tbsp water (optional, for syrup glaze)

• 1 lb all-butter puff pastry, thawed (two 9–10 inch sheets)
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, for dusting

Instructions

1. DAY 1 — Mix the dough: In a stand mixer with the dough hook, combine the bread flour, sugar, salt, instant yeast, and soft butter. Add the cold milk and mix on low 2 minutes to bring it together, then medium-low 4–5 minutes until you have a smooth, slightly stiff dough that clears the bowl. Do not over-develop — you want a moderate gluten network, not a windowpane.
2. Shape the dough into a rough 6-inch square, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight (up to 24 hours). This cold rest relaxes the gluten and makes rolling far easier.
3. DAY 2 — Make the butter block: Lay the cold butter sticks side by side on a sheet of parchment, fold the parchment into a 7 x 7-inch envelope around them, and pound and roll with a rolling pin until the butter fills the square evenly. Refrigerate 15 minutes — you want it cold but pliable, around 55–60°F: it should bend without cracking.
4. Lock in the butter: On a lightly floured counter, roll the chilled dough to a 14 x 7-inch rectangle. Set the butter block on one half, fold the bare dough over it, and pinch the three open edges firmly to seal the butter inside with no air pockets.
5. First fold: Rotate the packet so the sealed seam runs vertically. Roll steadily, always away and toward you, into a 24 x 8-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Brush off excess flour. Fold in thirds like a business letter. Wrap and chill 45 minutes.
6. Second fold: Repeat exactly — seam vertical, roll to 24 x 8 inches, letter fold. Wrap and chill 45 minutes. If the butter starts to smear through the dough at any point, stop and chill 20 extra minutes.
7. Third fold: Roll and letter-fold once more (three folds total = 27 butter layers). Wrap and chill at least 1 hour, or overnight for the best flavor and easiest final roll.
8. Cut the pastries: Roll the laminated dough into a 16 x 12-inch rectangle a scant 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. Let it rest 5 minutes so it stops shrinking back. Trim the edges square with a sharp knife or pizza wheel, then cut into 8 rectangles, each about 4 x 6 inches.
9. Fill and roll: Lay a rectangle with the short side facing you. Place one chocolate baton about 3/4 inch from the near edge and roll the dough over it one turn. Place the second baton against the roll and finish rolling to the end, stopping with the seam underneath. Press gently so the seam stays sealed. Repeat with the rest.
10. Proof: Arrange seam-side down on two parchment-lined sheet pans, 2 inches apart. Cover loosely and proof at 75–78°F for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until visibly puffed to about 1 1/2 times their size and jiggly like a water balloon when you shake the pan. Under-proofing is the #1 cause of dense, butter-leaking croissants.
11. Bake: Heat the oven to 400°F (204°C) with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Whisk the egg with the cream and a pinch of salt and brush the tops and sides gently — avoid dragging the layered ends. Bake 18–22 minutes, rotating and swapping the pans at 12 minutes, until deep mahogany brown and the layers are set and crisp. Pale croissants are gummy inside; take them further than feels comfortable.
12. Optional glaze: While the pastries bake, simmer 2 tbsp sugar with 2 tbsp water for 1 minute. Brush the hot croissants lightly with the syrup as they come out for bakery shine. Cool at least 20 minutes on a rack — the interior is still setting.
13. SHORTCUT VERSION — Unfold the thawed all-butter puff pastry on a lightly floured counter and roll each sheet to about 12 x 9 inches and 1/4 inch thick. Cut each sheet into 4 rectangles roughly 4 1/2 x 6 inches.
14. Roll each rectangle around 2 chocolate batons as in step 9, finishing seam-side down on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Chill 20 minutes to firm the butter (this is what gives you lift), then brush with egg wash.
15. Bake the shortcut pastries at 400°F (204°C) for 20–24 minutes, until dark golden and crisp all the way through the base — lift one to check that the underside is browned, not blond. Cool 15 minutes before eating so the chocolate isn't molten.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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