Sourdough Pain Au Chocolat Recipe: A Fancy Farm Food
Chocolate centers inside a delicious flaky and buttery croissant dough. A great special occasion pastry!
Ingredients
Pain Au Chocolat Dough Ingredients:
- 100 g sourdough starter active
- 80 g water distilled or filtered
- 120 g whole milk
- 35 g granulated sugar
- 45 g unsalted butter softened
- 375 g bread flour
- 7 g sea salt
- 20 chocolate sticks/batons linked in the "Shop this Post"
Butter Block
- 240 g or 2 sticks of high-quality unsalted butter 82% butterfat
Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg, separated
- 1 T water
Instructions
Directions for the Sourdough Croissant/Pain Au Chocolat Dough:
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer measure out the sourdough starter, water, milk, and sugar using a kitchen scale. Mix this by hand, spoon, or Danish dough hook until a slurry is formed.
- Add in the softened butter and the flour and either by hand or the dough hook attachment mix the dough until it is a shaggy consistency. At this point cover the dough with a clean towel and let rest or fermentolyse for 30 minutes.
- Weigh out the salt and set aside. Once the dough has finished the fermentolyse, add the salt, and knead by hand or with a dough hook for 5 minutes on low speed. The dough should have come together nicely.
- Transfer the dough to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Let the dough sit at room temperature for 1 hour before transferring the covered dough to the fridge for 12-14 hours or overnight.
Directions for the Butter Block:
- About an hour before you plan to start the dough lamination, take the 2 sticks of butter out of the fridge, and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.
- Once the butter has slightly softened take 2 sheets of square parchment paper, cut the butter sticks in half lengthwise and place them like a square on one lightly floured sheet of parchment paper. (Refer to pictures.)
- Next, take and lightly flour the top of the butter. This is to help keep the butter from sticking badly to the parchment. Place the second piece of parchment on top of the butter.
- Now you are ready to roll the butter out. You want the butter to be roughly 6” x 12”. If you want it to be exact you can fold the edges of the parchment over to make a 6”x12” rectangle but this is not necessary.
- Once the butter block is rolled out place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden. Your butter layer is now prepped.
Directions for the Lamination Process:
- Next take the chilled dough out of the fridge, place it on a lightly floured surface and roll the dough out to roughly a 12”x 24” rectangle.
- Once the butter has chilled for the 30 minutes, take one side of parchment paper off the butter and place butter side down on half of the dough. Next, slowly peel back the second piece of parchment paper from the butter.
- Once the parchment paper is removed take and fold the dough over the butter “sealing” it inside the dough. Roll the dough slightly with a rolling pin to help seal up the edges. Make sure none of the butter is exposed on the edges.
- Next, we will do the first fold out of three. Take the one side of the short end (12” side) and fold it up a third. Then take the opposite side and bring it down over the first fold. Roll the dough slightly to flatten the layers and place it on a small parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover the folded dough with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes
- Next, take the laminated dough out of the fridge and place it on a work surface that is lightly floured. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle and then repeat the fold as above. Place in the fridge for another 30 minutes.
- This is the third and final fold. Take it out of the fridge and repeat the above step. Place it back in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Directions on How to Shape the Pain Au Chocolat:
- Take the dough from the fridge and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to a 10”x15” rectangle. Move the dough frequently to make sure it isn’t sticking. If it seems like it needs it, add a little more flour to your work surface.
- Using a sharp knife, or pizza cutter trim the edges of the dough to square them up nicely. Then the long way, cut the dough into 3” strips. After they are cut go back and cut each strip in half, so you have roughly 5 rectangles across and 2 down. The rectangle shape should be roughly 3”x5” each. See picture. Using a ruler does help a lot during this step.
- After they are cut out, lay out the stick of chocolate at the bottom of the rectangle (the 3” side). Roll the dough over the chocolate stick and place another, chocolate stick, then continue to roll the chocolate croissant until it is rolled completely. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. The chocolate should be in the center of the dough. Continue with all the chocolate croissants. You may need more than one prepared baking sheet. Make sure to leave plenty of room for them to proof/bake.
- Depending on the temperature in your kitchen let the croissants proof for 8-12 hours until puffy. They will jiggle a little when the baking sheet is lightly shaken. Proof in a 69-72 degree area. You don't want your butter to get to soft during the proofing of the croissant.
- When they are proofed and puffy preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Take a small bowl and whisk egg white and water together. Using a pastry brush lightly brush a layer of egg white wash on the top of your croissants. Try not to get too much egg on the layers (sides). Bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and remove immediately from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool.
- Croissants are best enjoyed the first day they are made but you can also store them at room temperature and reheat the leftovers in a 400-degree oven for 5 minutes.
- Make sure to try one warm from the oven!
Notes
This recipe makes around 10 pain au chocolat.
Proofing Tip:
Since these are best proofed at a cooler temperature, you want to be sure to push the proof until they are super fluffy and raised.