Last night was the first night in over a month that I slept consecutively for more than 5 hours. WIN. As you can imagine, I am firing on ALL cylinders today. Take that, hump day.
Also, and probably consequently due to said sleep, this is the first hump day in like 26 years I haven’t hated with a burning fire.
I also made pain au chocolat from scratch because I can, because I am worth it, and because there is something oddly therapeutic about hammering the hell out of a brick of dough.
Why do you think they call it “pain” au chocolat? Gotta earn it kids, feel the burn. Set this task aside for a free Sasserday. It takes a little bit of time, but lord have mercy, chocolate croissants on a Sunday are so worth it.
To make the dough, combine the flour together with the yeast, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together and set aside. Add the milk to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the dry ingredients and knead on low speed until a ball of dough forms, about 5 minutes. Cut 2 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and add them to the dough. Continue to knead until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth. The dough should form a ball and begin to clear the sides of the bowl. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
To make the butter square, toss together the 24 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour on a clean work surface.
Smear the butter back and forth using a bench scraper against the work surface until they have combined into a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
Wrap the butter mixture in plastic wrap and use the edges of the plastic to form it into a 7-inch square. Refrigerate until ready to use, at least an hour
Dust a work surface with flour. Roll the dough into an 11-inch square . Place the chilled butter square diagonally onto the dough. Fold the corners of the dough up over the butter square so that they meet in the middle and pinch the edges of the dough together to seal them.
Using a rolling pin, gently tap the dough starting from the center of the dough and working outward, until the square becomes larger and the butter begins to soften. Start gently rolling the dough into a 14-inch square, being careful to make sure the work surface stays well floured and the dough is not sticking. Fold the dough into thirds to form a long rectangle. Starting from the narrow ends, fold the rectangle into thirds again to form a square. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Repeat this entire process again, tap the dough starting from the center of the dough and working outward, then rolling out to a 14-inch square. Fold the dough into thirds to form a rectangle and into thirds again to form a square, completing two more turns. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 more hours.
Roll out the dough to a 17 inch square, and cut into rectangles. Place 2 pieces of chocolate at the short end of one rectangle. Roll and place, seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash, and fridge for 1 hour. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
These look absolutely fabulous!!