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Pain au chocolat

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Serves 12

A little effort

Prep: 2 hrs

Cook: 25 mins

plus proving, resting and 48 hrs chilling

A star rating of 5 out of 5.2 ratingsRate

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Follow our tips and tricks to make a classic version of this buttery, rich and crisp French pastry, best served with a mug of tea or coffee

Freezable

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Make your own pain au chocolat using our recipe, then check out our homemade croissants, brioche, beignets, tarte tatin.

Pain au chocolat are made using a leavened, laminated dough. This means the dough is activated with yeast to create a rise, but it is also enriched with layers of butter that trap air during the baking process, creating the classic web of gluten strands and light, buttery texture you find in croissants. This recipe follows a classic method, producing a reliably rich and crisp end result. Don’t be tempted to skip the chilling between rolls and folds, or you may end up with greasy, stodgy pastry. Trust us, they’re well worth the wait!

How to make the perfect pain au chocolat: cook's tips

• You want your butter and dough to be the same consistency – if the butter is too firm, it will break through the layers of lamination and create a bad rise; if the butter is too soft, the dough will become greasy and uneven. If the butter breaks through the dough, dab it gently with a little flour to prevent it damaging the layers of lamination
• If the dough becomes an uneven rectangle when you roll it, trim the edges to straighten. Save any off-cuts and roll into spirals. Chill, glaze and bake these with the pain au chocolat for delicious bite-sized treats
• You can make these up to the end of step six, then freeze the shaped pain au chocolat in an airtight container for up to three months. When you’re ready to bake, continue from step seven, defrosting in the fridge first

How to store pain au chocolat: once fully cool, store in an airtight container for up to five days.

How to serve pain au chocolat: best eaten on the day they are made, but any leftovers can be warmed in the oven at 150C for 5 mins until lightly crisp.

Pain au chocolat recipe

Ingredients

Nutrition

• 500g strong white flour

  plus extra for dusting

• 50g caster sugar

• 1 tsp fine sea salt

• 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast

• 300ml whole milk

• neutral oil

  for the bowl

• 280g unsalted butter

  cut into 1cm-thick pieces

• 24 chocolate batons

• 1 free-range egg yolk

• ½ tbsp double cream

  or milk

Nutrition: per serving

• kcal429
• fat25.7g
• saturates15.6g
• carbs41.3g
• sugars9.3g
• fibre2.2g
• protein7g
• salt0.7g

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Method

• step 1

  Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together in a large bowl until evenly combined. Combine the yeast and milk. Create a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk mixture. Using a tightly cupped hand, stir, fold and briefly knead the mixture in the bowl to create a relatively smooth dough, drawing in all the flour. It doesn’t matter if it’s a little rough at this stage – it’s more important that you don’t overwork the gluten, which will make it difficult to roll out later. Shape into a ball and put in a lightly oiled, large lidded container. Leave at room temperature for 30 mins to activate the yeast, before chilling for at least 4 hrs or ideally overnight.

• step 2

  Meanwhile, arrange the butter slices in a square shape in the centre of a large sheet of baking paper. Fold the paper over the butter so it's fully encased, then lightly bash with a rolling pin to make it more pliable, forming it into a smooth, sharp-edged 18cm square. Wrap in the paper and chill in the fridge alongside the dough for at least 4 hrs or ideally overnight.

• step 3

  The next day, remove the butter and dough from the fridge. Put the dough on a lightly floured worksurface. Using a serrated knife, cut a cross into the centre of the dough, going halfway through and creating four sections. Gently pull each quarter up and out, away from the centre, and roll into roughly 5mm-thick flaps, creating a cross shape that is even in thickness with an 18-20cm square centre. Unwrap the butter and put it in the centre of the cross, then fold over the flaps to fully encase it, dusting off any excess flour as you go. You should now have a square that's roughly 20cm in size. Use a rolling pin to make small ridges down the length of the dough, then gently roll in short, sharp motions to create a smooth, sharp-sided 40cm x 70cm rectangle. The aim is to evenly thin the butter within the dough, rather than pushing it to one end. This will create an even lamination.

• step 4

  Brush off the excess flour (this is important, as it will inhibit the layers from bonding), then fold the shortest edge of the dough (furthest away from you) into the centre. Fold the bottom edge up to meet your initial fold in the middle so the two meet but are not overlapping. Finally, fold over the short edge that's closest to you, so the dough looks like a rectangular closed book. Gently press the four edges down using a rolling pin, then wrap in baking paper, transfer to a baking tray and chill for 30 mins-1 hr, depending on how warm your kitchen is (you want the dough to feel cool and firm, but not hard).

• step 5

  Put the dough on a lightly floured worksurface with the seam facing to the right. Roll the dough out as before, this time to a 30cm x 60cm rectangle. Repeat step four until you have completed a total of three rolls and folds, chilling for 30 mins-1 hr between each. If the dough is difficult to roll and keeps bouncing back, chill it for longer to allow the gluten to relax. There should be no streaks of butter visible through the dough by the final roll and fold.

• step 6

  After the final chill and third rolling and folding process, roll the dough out to a 25cm x 60cm rectangle that's roughly 3-5mm thick. Using a sharp knife in a downward motion, trim the edges of the dough to straighten, creating a 24cm x 58cm rectangle. Cut into 12 8cm x 14cm rectangles, being careful not to drag the knife through the dough – this will damage the layers of lamination. Working with one dough rectangle at a time, brush off the excess flour and put a chocolate baton on one end. Roll the dough over the baton, then add another baton and roll up like a swiss roll. Arrange seam-side down on a baking tray lined with baking paper (you may need to use two trays), then repeat with the remaining rectangles, leaving a 5cm gap between each one. If the seams start to unfold, gently brush with a little water to help keep them together. Chill for at least 2 hrs or ideally overnight.

• step 7

  When you’re ready to bake, take the pain au chocolat out of the fridge and prove at room temperature for approximately 2 hrs-2 hrs 30 mins until they have started to puff up and have a gentle wobble when you jiggle the tray. Whisk the egg yolk, double cream or milk and a pinch of sea salt together, and gently brush this over the tops of the pastries. Chill for 20 mins to help set the shape.

• step 8

  Heat the oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 10 mins, then reduce the temperature to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and bake for a further 10-15 mins or until deep golden and they feel light. Cover with foil if they start to turn too dark. Cool on a wire rack until just warm, then serve.

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