Pain au chocolat

Recipe

I used this croissant recipe up until step 13, forming the 8 rectangles then freezing 4 of them. When I was ready to bake, I placed them in the fridge to defrost for a few hours.

Then I referenced a bunch of different pain au chocolat recipes, and ultimately decided I'd simply use semi-sweet chocolate chips, instead of any fancy chocolate batons.

I used this shaping method, lining up the chocolate in a row, rolling the dough, then repeating once more.

How it turned out

Really well! It was baked through and buttery.

I learned from my croissant experience and worked out some of the kinks. I gave the dough more time to proof and baked a bit lower in the oven. And while there was still a bit of butter leakage, it was definitely less than the first time I tried baking laminated dough.

What I learned

Tuck the dough to avoid tails. I thought I had tucked the end of the roll tightly under its bottom. But during the bake some of them popped out, giving the rolls a tail. Next time I'll be sure to really secure the ends underneath.

Be generous but gentle with the egg wash. With the croissants I initially made, there wasn't a ton of gloss. So I layered on more egg wash on this ones. I was careful not to brush it over the edges of the dough, because I learned that the egg wash can impact the butter and layers.

Use what you have. Many of the recipes called for specific chocolate batons, but I ended up using chocolate chips because that was what was in the panty - and it turned out great. Baking is far more enjoyable when you aren't trying to pick up specific or hard-to-find ingredients. And what's the point of doing it if it isn't enjoyable?