Pain au chocolat
Buttery, flaky laminated pastries with rich dark chocolate batons — make 16 classic pains au chocolat at home.
Pain au chocolat is the flaky, buttery hug of mid-morning: crisp exterior, soft layers inside and a molten streak of dark chocolate. It looks intimidating but the technique is a lovely, methodical rhythm — mix, encase butter, two turns, proof and bake.
This recipe makes 16 classic pains au chocolat and leans traditional: a yeast-enriched dough, a cold butter block and two turns for true lamination. Perfect for a weekend bake when you’ve got time to enjoy the process (and the kitchen smells).
Ingredients
- 500 g strong white bread flour
- 50 g fine caster sugar
- 10 g fine sea salt
- 10 g instant dried yeast
- 300 ml whole milk — lukewarm, about 30–35°C
- 310 g unsalted butter — 60 g softened for the dough; 250 g cold for the butter block
- 1 egg — beaten with 15 ml milk for egg wash
- 200 g dark chocolate — cut into 16 batons (2 batons per pastry)
Equipment
- rolling pin
- baking tray
- pastry brush
- cling film (plastic wrap)
- bench scraper
- kitchen scale
Instructions
Put the strong white bread flour, fine caster sugar, fine sea salt and instant dried yeast into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the lukewarm whole milk and the 60 g softened unsalted butter. Mix to form a rough dough, then knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave at room temperature until roughly doubled in size.
Meanwhile, make the butter block: put 250 g cold unsalted butter between two pieces of cling film and bash/roll it with a rolling pin into an even rectangle about 20 x 15 cm and 1–1.5 cm thick. Chill briefly if it softens.
Knock back the proved dough, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to a rectangle roughly 25 x 20 cm. Place the butter block centrally on the dough and fold the dough around the butter, sealing the edges so the butter is fully enclosed.
Chill the wrapped dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm the butter and relax the gluten.
Turn 1 — remove dough from fridge, roll to a rectangle about 40 x 20 cm, then fold into thirds (like a letter). Rotate the dough 90° so the fold is on one side.
Wrap the dough and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to relax and re-firm the butter.
Turn 2 — repeat: roll to 40 x 20 cm and fold into thirds again. This gives the laminated layers needed for a flaky pastry.
Wrap and chill the dough for a further 30 minutes so it is cold and easy to shape.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a rectangle approximately 40 x 30 cm. Trim the edges for straight sides, then cut into 16 rectangles roughly 10 x 7.5 cm. Place one or two dark chocolate batons near the short edge of each rectangle and roll up towards the other edge, sealing the seam underneath. Place each roll seam-side down on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Cover the shaped pains au chocolat lightly with cling film and leave to prove at room temperature until nearly doubled — this usually takes about 75 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C conventional / 180°C fan. Mix the beaten egg with 15 ml milk and brush each pastry gently but evenly with the egg wash.
Bake the pains au chocolat in the preheated oven for 18–22 minutes until deeply golden and puffed.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Cool for 10 minutes before serving so the chocolate settles and the interior finishes cooking.
Tips
- Keep everything cool: if the butter softens at any point, pop the dough into the fridge for 10–20 minutes before continuing.
- Use a kitchen scale for accurate portions — even small size differences make a big difference to final proofing and bake time.
- When rolling, work quickly and evenly from the centre to the edges to avoid dragging butter to the sides.
- If you’re short on time, you can chill the shaped pastries briefly (15–20 minutes) before baking from cold; add a few minutes to the bake time.
- To freeze: freeze unproven shaped pastries on a baking tray, then transfer to a bag. Proof from frozen for about 90–120 minutes at room temperature, then egg wash and bake.
Substitutions
strong white bread flour → plain flour, same weight (500 g)
Noticeably differentdark chocolate → chocolate sticks or good-quality chocolate broken into batons, same weight (200 g)
Stays closeunsalted butter → salted butter, reduce fine sea salt to 5 g
Noticeably differentinstant dried yeast → fresh yeast, 25 g (crumble and dissolve into the lukewarm milk)
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 713
- Calories
- 10 g
- Protein
- 67 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 21 g
- Sugar
- 500 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I speed the process up by doing fewer chills?
Shortening chills risks the butter tearing through the dough or melting into the layers — you’ll lose flakiness. If pressed, chill thoroughly after encasing and do one turn only; results are acceptable but not as light.
Why is my butter leaking when I roll?
The butter was too warm or your dough stuck; chill the dough and butter, work quickly, and roll evenly from the centre. If leakage occurs, chill and try to scrape off excess butter before continuing.
Can I use ready-rolled puff pastry or croissant dough instead?
Yes — ready-rolled puff pastry or ready croissant dough will save time and still produce good results. Puff pastry gives a slightly different texture; store-bought croissant dough is the closest in taste.
How should I store leftovers?
Keep cooled pastries in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Reheat briefly in a hot oven (180°C fan/200°C conventional) for 5–7 minutes to refresh the crispness.
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