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French

Pain au chocolat

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Rectangles of laminated croissant dough rolled around two batons of dark chocolate, proofed until wobbly and baked crisp and golden.

Pain au chocolat is a French pastry from France, ready in about 19 hours 20 minutes and made with bread flour, unsalted butter and dark chocolate (70–85%). It serves 16 and is rated professional to cook.

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Delicious chocolate croissants on a metal plate in natural light, showcasing flaky pastry texture.
Photo: 🇻🇳🇻🇳 Việt Anh Nguyễn 🇻🇳🇻🇳 / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
1 h 30 min
Cook
20 min
Rest
5 h 30 min
Total
19 h 20 min
Serves
16
Level
Professional
Calories
356

Two-day process: détrempe chilled overnight, then lamination with chilling, a 2–2½ hour proof and baking.

Ingredients

16 pastries

Détrempe (dough)

Butter block

Egg wash

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Make the détrempe exactly as for croissants: mix to a smooth, moderately developed dough, flatten into a rectangle and refrigerate overnight. Shape the 280 g butter into a 17 cm square and chill.

  2. Step 2

    Next day, when the butter bends without cracking (12–14 °C), lock it into the dough and give 3 single (letter) folds, chilling 30 minutes after each, turning the dough 90° every time.

    Keep the corners square — it makes neat rectangles and less waste.

  3. Step 3

    Chill 1 hour, then roll into a 4–5 mm thick sheet about 32 × 80 cm. Trim and cut into 16 rectangles roughly 8 × 15 cm.

  4. Step 4

    Lay a chocolate (opens in a new tab) baton across the short end of each rectangle, fold the dough over it, add a second baton, then roll up to finish seam-side down. Space on lined trays and brush lightly with egg (opens in a new tab) wash.

  5. Step 5

    Proof at 24–26 °C (no higher) for 2–2½ hours until about doubled and wobbly, with the layers visibly opening at the sides.

    • Step 6

      Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 200 °C (fan 180 °C). Egg (opens in a new tab)-wash again and bake 18–20 minutes until deep golden. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes — the chocolate (opens in a new tab) is molten at first.

      Food safety: The chocolate centre stays very hot for several minutes — warn children.

    About this dish

    Origin
    France · Well documentedCalled 'chocolatine' in much of south-west France — a famously contested naming debate.Also popular in Belgium, Switzerland, United KingdomMore food from France
    Dish
    Breakfast · Snack · Pastries
    Cooking method
    Oven-baked, Fermented
    Taste
    buttery, sweet, bitter, rich
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo)
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Child-friendly
    Cook more with
    Bread flour · Unsalted butter · Dark chocolate (70–85%) · All-purpose flour · Milk · Sugar
    Techniques
    Baking · Fermentation

    Allergens

    • Contains: Milkfrom milk, unsalted butter, dark chocolate (70–85%)
    • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
    • May contain: Peanutsfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
    • May contain: Tree nutsfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
    • Contains: Wheatfrom bread flour, all-purpose flour
    • Contains: Glutenfrom bread flour, all-purpose flour
    • May contain: Soyfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    356 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 78 g · recipe makes 16

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 6%
    • Carbohydrate 37%
    • Fat 57%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
    Energy356 kcal456 kcal
    Protein5.5 g7 g
    Carbohydrate33.1 g42.3 g
    Net carbohydrate30.8 g39.4 g
    Sugars7 g9 g
    Added sugars——
    Fibre2.3 g2.9 g
    Fat22.6 g28.9 g
    Saturated fat13.5 g17.3 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol56 mg72 mg
    Sodium256 mg328 mg
    Salt equivalent0.6 g0.8 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    147 mg
    Calcium
    32 mg
    Iron
    3 mg
    Magnesium
    38 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    146 µg
    Vitamin C
    —
    Vitamin D
    —
    Vitamin B12
    0.1 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    —

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Bake one batch of croissants and one of pain au chocolat from a doubled lamination for a weekend spread.

    Common mistakes

    • Rolling the pastry too tightly around the chocolate, which stops it rising and splits the sides.

    Serve with

    • With coffee or hot chocolate for breakfast or goûter.

    Storage

    • Best on the day; freeze baked or unbaked shaped pastries.

    Reheating

    • Warm in a 180 °C oven for 4–5 minutes.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Egg wash

    • Egg1 piece · 50 g
    Used in steps 4, 6

    Baker’s notes

    Customise in Bread & Bakery

    Timeline and readiness cues

    1. Mix and knead · about 1 h 30 min

      Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

    2. First rise (bulk) · about 12 h

      About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.

    3. Rest · about 3 h 30 min

      Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

    4. Final proof · about 2 h 15 min

      Poke test: the dent springs back slowly and only partly. Springs back fast = needs longer; doesn't spring back = over-proofed, bake now.

    5. Bake · about 20 min at 200 °C

      Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

    6. Cool · about 15 min

      Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.

    7. Start to finish: about 19 h 50 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

    The dough

    The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
    IngredientRoleWeightBaker’s %
    Bread flourFlour250 g50%
    All-purpose flourFlour250 g50%
    MilkOther liquid144 g28.8%
    WaterWater140 g28%
    SugarSugar55 g11%
    Unsalted butterFat40 g8%
    SaltSalt10 g2%
    Instant yeastYeast7 g1.4%
    Total flour
    500 g
    Hydration
    28%
    With milk, eggs…
    53.1%
    Wholegrain
    0%

    Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

    • Stiff dough (under 55% hydration) — firm, easy to roll; typical of bagels, pretzels and many flatbreads.
    • Milk, eggs and other liquids add about 25 points of extra water, so it handles like a 53% dough.
    • Salt 2% — normal for bread.
    • Sugar 11% — an enriched, sweet dough; rises more slowly and browns quickly.

    If something goes wrong

    • Pale crust

      Likely causes

      • Oven too cool
      • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
      • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

      What to do

      • Check the oven with a thermometer
      • Brush with egg wash or milk
      • Shorten the fermentation
    • Burnt bottom

      Likely causes

      • Tray too close to the heat
      • Dark tray absorbs more heat
      • Too much sugar in the dough

      What to do

      • Bake on the middle shelf
      • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
      • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
    • Dough didn't rise

      Likely causes

      • Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
      • Kitchen too cold
      • Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
      • Starter not active

      What to do

      • Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
      • Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
      • Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
      • Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
    • Over-proofed (sour smell, collapses when scored)

      Likely causes

      • Too warm
      • Too much yeast
      • Left too long

      What to do

      • Knock back, reshape and proof again briefly (yeast doughs)
      • Use less yeast or a cooler proof
      • Set a timer and check early with the poke test
    • Pastry didn't puff or layers leaked butter

      Likely causes

      • Butter too warm and melted into the dough
      • Layers sealed when cutting
      • Oven not hot enough

      What to do

      • Chill between folds; keep everything cold
      • Cut straight down with a sharp knife — don't drag
      • Bake hot (200–220 °C) so the water in the butter steams the layers apart

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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