Pain au Chocolat (Homemade Chocolate Croissants), are also known as Chocolatine in the southwest part of France and in Canada, or Couque au Chocolat in Belgium. They are a type of sweet pastry made from yeast-leavened laminated dough, similar in texture to a puff pastry, with one or two pieces of dark chocolate in the center.
How to Store Pain au Chocolat 🥐 Chocolate Croissants
Croissants are best served at room temperature on the day they were baked. However to store these delicious treats keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in a refrigerator for up to one week.
To freeze the chocolate croissants place them on a baking tray and pop them into the freezer for about an hour. When the pastries are solid, take them out of the freezer. And wrap each one individually in cling film. Add a second layer of cling film for extra protection. Finally, put the wrapped pain au chocolat into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
History of Pain au Chocolat 🥐 Chocolate Croissants
Legend has it that Marie-Antoinette introduced the croissant to France, but croissants and chocolatines are a relatively modern inventions. The word croissant, which refers to a pastry shaped like a half-moon or “crescent”, made its entry in the French dictionary in 1863. The type of pastry, called viennoiserie in French, was introduced in the early 19th century, when August Zang, an Austrian officer, and Ernest Schwarzer, an Austrian aristocrat, founded a Viennese bakery in Paris located at 92, rue de Richelieu.
Originally, croissants and pains au chocolat were made from a brioche base but later evolved to incorporate a buttery flaky dough (pâte feuilletée).
City of Paris, France
Paris, France’s capital, is a major European city and a global center for art, fashion, gastronomy and culture. Its 19th-century cityscape is crisscrossed by wide boulevards and the River Seine. Beyond such landmarks as the Eiffel Tower and the 12th-century, Gothic Notre-Dame cathedral, the city is known for its cafe culture and designer boutiques along the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.
History of Paris, France
The history of Paris dates back to approximately 259 BC, with the Parisii, a Celtic tribe settled on the banks of the Seine. In 52 BC, the fishermen’s village was conquered by the Romans, founding a Gallo-Roman town called Lutetia. The city changed its name to Paris during the fourth century.
Tourism in Paris, France
Top sights include Notre Dame, Disneyland Paris, Sacre Cœur, the Versailles Palace, the Louvre Museum, the Eiffel Tower, Centre Pompidou, and the Musée d’Orsay. The largest numbers of foreign tourists who come to the Paris region are British, American, German, Italian, Chinese, and Canadian.
The Cuisine of Paris, France
French cuisine consists of the cooking traditions and practices of France. Its cuisine has been influenced throughout the centuries by the many surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium, in addition to its own food traditions on the long western coastlines of the Atlantic, the Channel, and inland.
Featured Bakery
Boulangerie Poilâne
8 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006 Paris, France
Phone Number +33 1 45 48 42 59
Created in 1932 by Pierre Poilâne, the Poilâne ® bakery has spanned the ages by combining the art of living, eating well and creativity.
Today Apollonia Poilâne, third generation at the head of the house, retains the same unique view of her job as a baker; uncompromising know-how, social & environmental commitment, and passion for the art of baking.
Located at 8 rue du Cherche Midi, in the heart of Saint Germain des Prés (Paris 6th), the first Poilâne ® bakery is still today the nerve center of a house of international renown.
How to Make Pain au Chocolat 🥐 Chocolate Croissants
Ingredients Needed to Make Pain au Chocolat 🥐 Chocolate Croissants
Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Pizza Cutter
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 Cooling Rack
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 oz dried yeast
- 4½ oz milk room-temperature
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
To Fold into the Dough
- 8½ tbsp unsalted butter, to roll into the dough
- 8¾ oz dark chocolate
For the Egg Wash
- 1 egg beat well for egg wash
How to Cook Pain au Chocolat 🥐 Chocolate Croissants
Time needed: 4 hours
Pain au Chocolat 🥐 Chocolate Croissant Cooking Directions
- Mix the Batter
Add all the ingredients to the mixing bowl with the bread hook attached, mix on slow speed for 5 minutes, and incorporate all the ingredients. Then turn the mixer to medium speed for another 2 minutes. Mix until the dough comes elastic and flexible. To check it, pull out a small piece, round it up in your palm, then slowly stretch it out till it passes the windowpane test (stop at 60-70% gluten development). Then round it up and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight.
- Prep the Butter
Using a sandwich bag/plastic liner with square dimensions, place room-temperature butter inside, pound the butter, and roll it into a preferred square shape with the rolling pin. Then store in the refrigerator.
- Roll the Dough
Take out the dough from the refrigerator to the working surface and roll it into a rectangular shape of 5 inches x 10 inches.
- Place the Butter Tween the Dough
Take the butter sheet out of the refrigerator. Once the butter reaches 55F, peel the butter sheet and place it into the dough slab’s center. Stretch and fold the right and left sides of the dough over the butter. Then make a straight cut on both right and left of the dough.
- Roll Out the Dough
Grab your rolling pin and press it down to your dough evenly from top to bottom until the butter is pliable and ready to roll out into a long rectangle. I stop once the length is about 4 times the width, then make a book fold. Keep rolling to make it flatter before covering and putting them back to the refrigerator. Chill it for 45 minutes.
- Repeat the Rolling
Same rolling and folding process at 53F, but at this time make a single fold. Cover and rest for 45 minutes.
- Cut the Dough to Width
The dough should be cold now. Grab both ends of your rolling pin, and press gently and evenly on your dough. Then as quickly as you can, from the open end-side, roll out the dough to 7.5 inches wide and 14.5 inches long. Use a wheel cutter or a sharp knife to trim all the edges, then cut into about rectangle strips, 3 inches x 7 inches. This recipe will yield 5 chocolate croissants.
- Roll the Pastries
Start placing the chocolate slivers at the closest side to you and gently roll starting from the bottom or the side closest to you up to the top. Face the tips to the bottom, just naturally leave the ends.
- Proof the Dough
Place the croissants’ baking tray into a cool and shut oven and a tray filled with warm water underneath, refill with warm water every 45 minutes to 1 hour (optional). Proof for approx 2 hours until the chocolate croissant is double in size.
- Bake the Pastries
Brushing the egg-washed gently over the chocolate croissants, and baked at 350F for approximately 16 minutes until golden brown.
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Chocolate Croissant – Pain Au Chocolat
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Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Pizza Cutter
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 Cooling Rack
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ oz dried yeast
- 4 ½ oz milk room-temperature
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
To Fold into the Dough
- 8 ½ tbsp unsalted butter to roll into dough
- 8 ¾ oz dark chocolate
For the Egg Wash
- 1 egg beat well for egg wash
Instructions
Mix the dough:
- Add all the ingredients to the mixing bowl with the bread hook attached, mix on slow speed for 5 minutes, and incorporate all the ingredients. Then turn the mixer to medium speed for another 2 minutes. Mix until the dough becomes elastic and flexible. To check it, pull out a small piece, round it up in your palm, then slowly stretch it out till it passes the windowpane test (stop at 60-70% gluten development). Then round it up and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight.2 cups bread flour, 1 tsp salt, 3 tbsp granulated sugar, ¼ oz dried yeast, 4 ½ oz milk, 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- Using a sandwich bag/plastic liner with square dimensions, place room-temperature butter inside, pound the butter, and roll it into a preferred square shape with the rolling pin. Then store in the refrigerator.8 ½ tbsp unsalted butter
The next day – first Fold:
- Take out the dough from the refrigerator to the working surface and roll it into a rectangular shape of 5 inches x 10 inches.
- Take the butter sheet out of the refrigerator. Once the butter reaches 55F, peel the butter sheet and place it into the dough slab's center. Stretch and fold the right and left sides of the dough over the butter. Then make a straight cut on both right and left of the dough.
- Grab your rolling pin and press it down to your dough evenly from top to bottom until the butter is pliable and ready to roll out into a long rectangle. I stop once the length is about 4 times the width, then make a book fold. Keep rolling to make it flatter before covering and putting them back in the refrigerator. Chill it for 45 minutes.
Second fold:
- Same rolling and folding process at 53F, but at this time make a single fold. Cover and rest for 45 minutes.
Final lamination:
- The dough should be cold now. Grab both ends of your rolling pin, and press gently and evenly on your dough. Then as quickly as you can, from the open end-side, roll out the dough to 7.5 inches wide and 14.5 inches long. Use a wheel cutter or a sharp knife to trim all the edges, then cut into about rectangle strips, 3 inches x 7 inches. This recipe will yield 5 chocolate croissants.
- Start placing the chocolate slivers at the closest side to you and gently roll starting from the bottom or the side closest to you up to the top. Face the tips to the bottom, just naturally leave the ends.8 ¾ oz dark chocolate
Proofing:
- Place the croissants' baking tray into a cool and shut oven and a tray filled with warm water underneath, refill with warm water every 45 minutes to 1 hour (optional). Proof for about 2 hours until the chocolate croissant is double in size.
Baking:
- Brushing the egg-washed gently over the chocolate croissants, and baked at 350F for approximately 16 minutes until golden brown.1 egg
Nutrition
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Photo Credits:
- By the Barbarian’s Guide to Cooking – Copyright 2022, All rights reserved.
- By Boulangerie Poilâne – https://www.facebook.com/painpoilane/
- By Yann Caradec from Paris, France – La Tour Eiffel vue de la Tour Saint-Jacques, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34933538
- By Kainet – Flickr: Arc de Triomphe HDR, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30352419
- By Peter Rivera – Paris Opera, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=105395099
- By Benh LIEU SONG (Flickr) – Louvre Courtyard, Looking West, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=88151512
- By Mbzt – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16208083
