Pain au Chocolat — Cook

Ingredients

For the détrempe
500 g plain white flour, strong bread flour preferred
300 ml whole milk, cold
10 g fine salt
50 g caster sugar
10 g fresh yeast, or equivalent dried
30 g unsalted butter, softened, for the détrempe
For the beurre de tourage
250 g dry-style unsalted butter (beurre de tourage), cold, shaped into a flat block
For the filling
24 bâtons de chocolat pour pain au chocolat, 55–65% cacao, boulangerie-grade, 2 per piece
For the finish
2 eggs, beaten, for egg wash — applied only immediately before baking

Method

1
Combine the flour, cold milk, salt, sugar, yeast, and 30 g softened butter in a bowl. Mix until a cohesive dough forms, then knead briefly — the détrempe should be smooth but not developed. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour; the dough should feel firm and cold to the touch.
2
Shape the chilled beurre de tourage into an even flat block. On a floured surface at 18–20 °C, roll the détrempe into a rectangle large enough to enclose the butter block completely. Fold the dough over the butter as an envelope, sealing the edges by pressing firmly. The parcel should show no gaps or tears — butter leaking at this stage will destroy the lamination.
3
This is where the dish lives or dies. Execute three single turns (or two double turns), resting the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes between each turn. Work in an ambient temperature of 18–20 °C; if the dough resists or butter begins to smear rather than layer, stop immediately and refrigerate. At the end of the final turn, the cut edge should reveal 27 or more distinct, unbroken alternating strata of dough and butter — any merging of layers signals inadequate chilling or overworking.
4
After the final turn, rest the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll it out to 4–5 mm thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into rectangles of approximately 10 cm × 15 cm. The cut edges should show clean, defined lamination layers.
5
Lay two bâtons de chocolat across each rectangle, parallel, one-third in from each short end. Fold the near edge over the first baton, continue rolling to the second baton, then fold the far edge under. Place seam-side down on a lined baking tray. The piece should be compact and symmetrical. Refrigerate the formed pain au chocolat for 15 minutes to firm the butter layers before proofing.
6
Proof at 27 °C and 75 % humidity for 90–120 minutes. Do not apply egg wash before proofing — it seals the surface and restricts expansion. The pain au chocolat are ready when the lamination layers are visibly puffy and the dough yields like a cloud under the lightest pressure of a fingertip.
7
Apply egg wash immediately before loading. Bake at 190–200 °C with a brief burst of steam at the moment of loading. Bake for 15–18 minutes. The finished pain au chocolat should be deeply golden, with visible spiralling lamination on the surface and a shattering crisp exterior when tapped on the base.