Classic French Croissants and Pain au Chocolat

Name: Authentic French Croissants and Pain au Chocolat
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 250 g all-purpose flour; 250 g strong flour (bread flour); 10 g salt; 60 g sugar; 15 g fresh yeast; 280 g water; 10 g milk powder; 60 g butter, melted; 250 g high-fat European-style butter, for lamination (tourage); 14 chocolate batons; 1 large egg, for egg wash; 1 tbsp milk, for egg wash

This authentic French croissant and pain au chocolat recipe teaches the multi-day lamination process learned at Ferrandi Paris culinary school, producing properly layered, flaky pastries with 250g high-fat European butter.

🌍French 🏷️Croissant 🏷️Pain au chocolat 🏷️French pastry 🏷️Baking Laminated dough

🏷️

🏷️Butter

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moribyanonTikTok

Total

1h 50m

Servings

5

Difficulty

Hard

Est. Cost

$23–$38

Recipe Source

View original recipe

From TikTok · by moribyan

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moribyanonTikTok

Ingredients

250 g all-purpose flour
250 g strong flour (bread flour)
10 g salt
60 g sugar
15 g fresh yeast
280 g water
10 g milk powder
60 g butter, melted
250 g high-fat European-style butter, for lamination (tourage)
14 chocolate batons
1 large egg, for egg wash
1 tbsp milk, for egg wash

12 Ingredients

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Instructions

1
Day 1: Prepare the butter block. Shape the 250g lamination butter into a flat rectangle between two sheets of parchment paper and chill.
2
Day 1: Make the dough (détrempe). In a stand mixer, combine the flours, salt, sugar, fresh yeast, water, milk powder, and melted butter. Mix until a smooth dough forms. Let it rest.
3
Day 1: Laminate the dough. Roll out the dough into a rectangle and enclose the chilled butter block inside. Seal the edges tightly.
4
Day 1: Perform the first fold. Roll the dough out into a long rectangle and perform a simple letter fold. Wrap and refrigerate.
5
Day 2: Perform the second fold. Take the chilled dough, roll it out again, and perform another fold. Wrap and chill again.
6
Day 2: Roll out the final dough and cut into shapes. For croissants, cut long triangles. For pains au chocolat, cut rectangles.
7
Day 2: Shape the pastries. Roll the triangles tightly from the wide end to form croissants. For pains au chocolat, place two chocolate batons on a rectangle and roll it up.
8
Day 2: Prepare the egg wash by whisking together the egg and milk. Lightly brush the shaped pastries with the egg wash.
9
Day 2: Proof the pastries. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them proof overnight in a proofing box or a warm, humid place until they are visibly puffy and airy.
10
Day 3: Bake the pastries. Once proofed, bake in a preheated oven until deeply golden brown and flaky.
11
Serve warm and enjoy the flaky layers.

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Tips & Notes

Pro tips

Keep all dough and butter at 16–18°C (60–64°F) during lamination; warmer temperatures cause butter to soften and merge into dough, destroying layers.
When folding, use even pressure and maintain consistent thickness; uneven folds create irregular layers and pastries with dense spots.
Score pain au chocolat rectangles cleanly before filling chocolate batons; rough edges prevent even sealing and cause chocolate to leak during baking.
Proof shaped pastries in a humid environment (proofing box or covered on a baking sheet); dry air causes surface cracks before baking.

Substitutions

Strong bread flour → all-purpose flour (results in slightly less extensible dough; reduce hydration by 10–15 g water)
Fresh yeast → instant dry yeast at 5 g; adjust fermentation timing as instant yeast acts faster

Storage & make-ahead

Store baked croissants and pain au chocolat in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 months; reheat gently in a 160°C oven for 5–8 minutes to restore crispness. Shaped, unproofed pastries can be frozen on a tray before the final proof and baked directly from frozen, adding 5–10 minutes to baking time.

Equipment

stand mixer with dough hook · laminating mat or parchment paper · bench scraper · rolling pin · pastry cutter or sharp knife

Common Questions

How long does it take to make croissants from start to finish?

This recipe spans multiple days due to fermentation and lamination (tourage) stages. Plan for active work over 2–3 days, with overnight cold rests between folds.

What is the difference between croissants and pain au chocolat?

Both use the same laminated dough. Croissants are shaped into crescents; pain au chocolat are rectangles filled with two chocolate batons before folding.

Why is European-style butter essential for lamination?

High-fat European butter (82–86% butterfat) has less water content, allowing clean, distinct layers during folding and creating the signature flaky texture.

Can I skip the overnight rests?

No. Cold resting prevents the dough from becoming too warm during folding, which would cause butter to mix into the dough rather than create separate layers.