These homemade chocolate croissants feature a firm chocolate bar tucked inside, so every bite contrasts the light, buttery layers of the pastry with the deep richness of chocolate. It’s a combination that can make your kitchen feel a little like a Parisian bakery.
Info
- Cook time: 1 hour
- Total time: 7 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 12
Ingredients
For the Croissant Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 packet (1/4 ounce, or 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups warm milk (about 100°F)
For the Chocolate Croissants
- 1 large egg
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, or your preferred chocolate
- Nonstick cooking spray, for the plastic wrap
Instructions
- Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the 2 tablespoons of room-temperature butter and beat with the paddle attachment on low speed until the butter is fully incorporated and no longer visible. Pour in the milk and continue mixing on low until a dough forms. Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium-high for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth but still slightly soft and loose. Take the dough out of the mixer, shape it into a rectangle, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Prepare the butter block: While the dough rests, form the remaining 2 1/2 sticks of softened butter into a rough rectangle and dust it with flour. Place it between two sheets of parchment paper (or butter wrappers) and press or roll it into a 6-by-8-inch rectangle. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 10-by-20-inch rectangle. Lay the butter rectangle in the center and fold one end of the dough over the butter, then fold the other end over the top, as if folding a letter. This is the first turn. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Continue the turns: Unwrap the dough and place it with one straight edge facing you. Roll it into a 10-by-20-inch rectangle. Fold the two short ends in to meet in the center, then fold the dough closed like a book. This is the second turn. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Repeat this book fold for a third turn, wrap, and chill for another 30 minutes. Do one more book fold (the fourth turn), then wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Shape and fill: Beat the egg. Unwrap the dough and cut it in half. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Work with one half of the dough at a time: roll it into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle and trim the edges with a pizza wheel to make them even. Cut the rectangle in half vertically, then cut each half into thirds horizontally to make 6 rectangles total. Brush the rectangles with the egg wash. Place a 1/2-ounce chocolate bar in the center of each rectangle, positioning it parallel to the short ends. Fold one end over the chocolate, then fold the other end over that, again like folding a letter. Place the croissants seam-side down on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and chocolate. Lightly coat a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover the croissants loosely. Let them rise at room temperature until they are light, puffy, and about 50% larger, roughly 1 1/2 hours.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the croissants generously with the egg wash. Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through, until the croissants are puffed and deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let them cool slightly on a wire rack.
