Petite Pain Au Chocolat Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Unfold the pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Roll each into a 10-inch square. Cut each into 4 (5-inch) squares, making 8 in all.
• Place 2 tablespoons chocolate chips in the center of each pastry square. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg. Fold each pastry over the chocolate chips and press to seal. Place the filled pastries onto baking sheets. Brush the pastries with the egg.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown. Let the pastries cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool completely on wire racks. Cook and stir the remaining chocolate chips and the butter in a heavy 1-quart saucepan over low heat until the mixture is melted and smooth. Stir in the confectioners' sugar. Stir in the water, adding additional water, if necessary, until desired consistency. Drizzle the icing over the pastries

Steps:

• Prepare the dough: Melt the 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Allow the butter to cool to room temperature. It should appear milky and should be pourable and warm to the touch. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the cold water. Place the flour, salt, sugar, milk, and melted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Set the mixer on medium speed and mix just until the ingredients are dispersed, about 5 seconds. Add the dissolved yeast and beat on medium-high speed until the dough is well combined and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl, about 1 minute.
• If the dough is too soft, add more flour, one tablespoon at a time until it is firmer. (The dough is too soft when it cannot hold its shape.) If the dough is too hard, add cold water one tablespoon at a time until it has softened. (The dough is too hard when it is difficult to mix in the mixer.)
• Remove the dough from the mixing bowl. If the dough is slightly sticky and ropy, knead it with your hands for about 30 seconds, until it is smooth. Pat it into a ball. Place the dough on a lightly floured baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and let it proof at room temperature for about 30 minutes. (This will start the fermentation process).
• Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll it out to an 8 by 15-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Wrap the rectangle in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. The cold retards the rising process, which allows for a slow fermentation. A slow fermentation helps develop the flavor of the dough.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap the rectangle, and place it with a long side facing you on a lightly floured work surface. Spread the softened butter evenly over the right two thirds of the dough. I like to use a large offset spatula to do this. Incorporate the butter by folding the (butterless) left third of the dough over the center, then fold the right third of the dough to the left. Now it should resemble a folded letter.
• Roll this out into another 10 by 30-inch rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Give the dough a book fold, or double fold, by folding each short end to the middle so they meet but do not overlap. Then fold one half over the other half and, if necessary, rotate the dough so that the seam is on your right. (This process is called a book fold because the folded dough resembles a book and a double fold because the dough is folded onto itself two times.)
• Wrap the folded dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours. (At this stage I usually let the dough rest overnight and finish it in the morning.)
• The following procedure is the final step before you form the croissants or pain au chocolat. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll it into a 10 x 30-inch rectangle and turn it so a long side faces you. Give the dough a single fold by folding the left third of the dough over the center. Then fold the right third of the dough to the left. Now the dough should resemble a folded letter.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough into a 10 by 36-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Keep the thickness even and the edges straight. This will make it easier to cut the croissants or pain au chocolat.
• These puff pastry items are best eaten the day they are made.
• Follow instructions for basic dough, above.
• With a sharp chef's knife, cut the dough into 3 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch rectangles. Lay each rectangle on a lightly floured work surface, with a long side facing you, and place about 1/2 tablespoon of the chopped chocolate in the upper third of each one. Fold that third of the dough over the chocolate.
• Place about another 1/2 tablespoon of the chocolate along one seam of the folded dough. Fold the bottom third of the dough over the chocolate. (At this stage, they can be frozen for up to one week if well wrapped in plastic wrap. Thaw on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.)
• Turn over the pain au chocolat so the seams face down. This will keep them from opening as they bake. Place them on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet; they will get bigger as they proof and bake, so space them about 2 inches apart. Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and allow the pain au chocolat to proof at room temperature until they have doubled in size and appear light and full of air, 1 1/2 to 3 hours depending on the temperature of the room and of the dough.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Make an egg wash by whisking together the egg yolks, whole egg, and milk in a small bowl until well combined. With a pastry brush, very gently coat the croissants or pain au chocolat completely with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. I love to eat both of them fresh out of the oven. If you have any leftovers, they can be stored in the freezer if well wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 2 weeks. Thaw at room temperature and warm in the oven before serving.
• Follow instructions for basic dough, above.
• Use a sharp chef's knife to cut out triangles with a 2 1/2-inch base and 10-inch sides. Lay each triangle on a lightly floured work surface with the tip facing you. Gently pull the tip toward you; this light stretch adds layers to the finished croissant without adding density. Use the palms of your hands to roll each triangle up from the base to the tip. (At this stage, they can be frozen for up to one week if well wrapped in plastic wrap. Thaw on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.)
• Place the rolled croissants on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. The croissants will get bigger as they proof and bake, so space them about 2 inches apart. Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap. This keeps the croissants from developing a skin while proofing and traps the heat released during fermentation, which helps them to rise. Allow the croissants to proof at room temperature until they have doubled in size and appear light and full of air; this can take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 hours depending on the temperature of the room and of the dough.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease 2 baking sheets.
• Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to make a 10" square.
• Cut into 4 squares. Place 2 Tbs. of chocolate chips in center of each square.
• Brush edges lightly with beaten egg and fold to form a triangle. Press the edges to seal.
• Place on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining pastry sheet.
• Brush tops of each pastry with beaten egg.
• Bake for 15-17 minute or until puffed and golden. Cool on baking sheets for 2 min; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
• Melt the semisweet chocolate and butter in small, microwave safe bowl on HIGH for 30 seconds; stir. If necessary, microwave an additional 10-15 seconds, stirring just until melted.
• Stir in powdered sugar. Add water, stirring until icing is smooth, adding additional water if necessary.
• Drizzle icing over pastries.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degree F and butter a large baking sheet. Cut the chocolate into eighteen 2-by 1/2-inch pieces.
• Carefully unfold pastry sheet and roll out on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin to form a 12-1/2-inch square. Trim edges of pastry with a pizza cutter or sharp knife to form a 12-inch square. Cut pastry into three 4-inch strips. Cut strips crosswise to make eighteen 2- by 4-inch rectangles.
• Working with 1 rectangles at a time, brush top with egg wash and place 1 piece of chocolate 1 inch from short end of rectangle and roll up pastry over chocolate to encase chocolate and form a log. Press edge of pastry to seal, leaving ends of log open, and arrange pastry seam sides down on baking sheet. Brush tops of pastry with some of egg wash.
• Repeat with remaining pastry and chocolate in same manner, and freeze pastry on baking sheet until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Now, bake pastries in middle of oven until puffed and golden brown on top, about 10 minutes (don't worry if some chocolate leaks out). Transfer with a metal spatula to wire racks to cool. Dust tops of pastries with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush top of each puff pastry square with egg glaze. Place 1 chocolate piece on edge of 1 pastry square. Roll up dough tightly, enclosing chocolate. Repeat with remaining pastry and chocolate. Place pastry rolls on baking sheet, seam side down. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover pastries with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Cover and refrigerate remaining egg glaze.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush tops of pastry rolls with remaining egg glaze. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake until pastries are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Arrange racks in the upper third and lower thirds of the oven. Bring a skillet of water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Transfer the skillet to the floor of the oven and close the door. (The steam released inside the oven will create an ideal proofing environment for the pains au chocolat.) Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Remove the slab of dough from the refrigerator and let sit for 5 minutes at room temperature. Unwrap (save the plastic for proofing) and place on a very lightly floured surface. If the dough has shrunk during chilling, roll it out again to a slab that's 16 inches long and 15 inches wide. Dust off any excess flour with a pastry brush.
• Use a wheel cutter to trim 1/2 inch of dough from all four sides, straightening and squaring them off, creating a slab that's 15 inches long by 14 inches wide. Using a ruler, cut the slab lengthwise into 5 equal strips each measuring 3 inches wide. Cut each strip in half crosswise, creating 10 rectangles.
• Working one rectangle at a time, place a stick of chocolate along one of the shorter sides, leaving about a 1-inch border. Fold the pastry over the chocolate until it's wrapped around one time, then tuck another bar of chocolate into the fold. Wrap the pastry around the second bar of chocolate and continue to roll until you have a snug spiral. Transfer the pain au chocolat to a prepared baking sheet, resting it on the seam. Repeat with the remaining dough and chocolate, dividing between the baking sheets and spacing evenly. Very loosely cover with plastic wrap so the pastries have some room to expand.
• Open the oven and stick your hand inside - it should be humid but not hot, as the water in the skillet will have cooled. You want the pains au chocolat to proof at 70 to 75 degrees. (Any hotter and the butter will melt, leading to a denser pastry.) Gently place the baking sheets inside the oven and let the pastries proof until they're doubled in size, extremely puffy, and jiggle delicately on the baking sheet, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Remove the baking sheets from the oven and carefully uncover them. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes while you heat the oven. Remove the skillet from the oven and heat to 375 degrees.
• In a small bowl, stir the yolk and heavy cream until streak-free. Remove the baking sheets from the refrigerator and use a pastry brush to gently brush each pain au chocolat with the yolk mixture. Transfer the sheets to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets and switch racks, and continue to bake until the pains au chocolat are deeply browned, another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheets.