Pain au Chocolate - A Heavenly Pastry Treat for Sunday Morning Coffee

What could be better on Sunday morning than waking up to the smell of freshly baked chocolate pastries and freshly brewed coffee?  I've been making these little delights for years and even though they are a lot of work the minute I open the oven door and see the golden brown pastry and smell the melted chocolate, I'm hooked all over again.  My son Shayne loves them too.  The hardest part of making these is planning the dough rising and resting to coordinate with when you want to bake them off.  I have had good luck putting the finished rolled dough overnight in the refrigerator and baking the next morning.

 King Arthur Flour sells little pain au chocolate sticks to use in the pastries but at $16.00 a pound they are a little pricey.  I use chocolate chips and have been very happy with the results.  Letting the dough rest a few minutes when you are rolling it out allows you to roll to the proper dimensions and thickness. 

The original recipe is from King Arthur Flour and is still available on their site today.  I was in their store in Norwich Vermont this afternoon and they also still carry the little chocoate sticks that are perfect for making this treat.  For this recipe I use King Arthur All Purpose Flour.

Pain au Chocolate

Dough:

Combine 3/4 cup water and 3/4 cup milk.  Heat in microwave to 105 degrees (hot to touch)
Put the warm milk mixture in the bowl of a mixer.
Add 2 cups of flour, 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast (one package), 2 1/2 tablespoons soft butter, 1/4 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.  Mix with paddle attachment until evenly blended.  Switch to dough hook.

Add 2 cups of flour and continue mixing until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.  You may have to add up to an additional 1/2 cup of flour depending on the consistancy.  Knead the dough until it is smooth and about the consistancy of a breast (yes I did just write breast - this is the closest thing I can think of to describe perfect dough consistancy).  Let the dough rise in a warm spot for approximately 1 hour.

Turn the dough out onto a slightly floured surface and flatten into a rectangle and gently fold in thirds.  Wrap in greased plastic wrap or in a plastic bag and refrigerate overnight (or for atleast 8 hours). 

Butter

Take 1 cup of COLD unsalted butter (2 sticks) and slice them lenth wise into 4 pieces each.  Place these eight pieces lined up on either waxed paper or on floured parchment paper.  Cover with another sheet of paper and carefull roll and soften the butter into one sheet of butter that is approximately 7 X 10 inches.  Place this sheet of butter back in the fridge until you are ready for the next step.

Finishing

Remove your dough from the refridgerator and place on a lightly floured surface.  Allow dough to rest a few minutes and then roll out to about 10' X  20".  Remove the butter from the refridgerator and place it in the center of the dough.  Fold the butter into the dough like an envelope.  Fold one side over the butter and then the other and then pinch the edges to seal.  Roll this out until it is approximately 10 X 24.  Now fold the two ends into the center and then fold the whole thing in half.  Wrap in floured plastic and refrigerate (2 - 12 hours).

Remove the dough from the refridgerator.  Roll to about 1/8" thick.  The dough should be approximately 18 X 25.  I usually cut the dough into rectangles that are about 2" X 4".  Place one chocolate stick (or 8 - 10 chocolate bits) on the end of the dough and roll up.  Place the pastries seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Cover with a light cloth, place in a warm place (near the preheating oven or in a sunny window) and allow pastries to rise until puffy looking (They won't double in size).  Just before baking brush with an egg wash (one egg beaten with a pinch of salt and a 1/2 tsp water).  I sprinkle large crystal sugar on top which is also available throught King Arthur Flour.

Bake at 400 - 425 degrees F for approximately 15 - 17 minutes.