Flaky Chocolate Croissants (Printable)

Create flaky, buttery croissants filled with rich chocolate using traditional French pastry techniques.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
02 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
03 - 1 teaspoon salt
04 - 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
05 - 3/4 cup whole milk, lukewarm
06 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

→ Butter Layer

07 - 1 cup cold unsalted butter

→ Filling

08 - 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped or 8 chocolate batons

→ Egg Wash

09 - 1 large egg
10 - 1 tablespoon milk

# How-To Steps:

01 - Dissolve yeast in lukewarm milk and let stand for 5 minutes until foamy.
02 - Combine flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter with yeast mixture. Mix until rough dough forms, then knead for 5–7 minutes until smooth and elastic.
03 - Shape dough into rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
04 - Place cold butter between parchment sheets. Pound and roll into 6 x 8-inch rectangle. Refrigerate if softening occurs.
05 - Roll dough on floured surface into 10 x 14-inch rectangle. Position butter slab on lower half, fold upper half over, and seal edges.
06 - Gently roll dough into 10 x 20-inch rectangle. Fold into thirds like a letter. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
07 - Repeat rolling and folding process twice more, rotating dough 90 degrees between each turn. Refrigerate 30 minutes after each fold.
08 - Roll final dough into 10 x 20-inch rectangle. Cut into 8 equal rectangles. Place chocolate at one end of each piece and roll tightly into log, seam-side down.
09 - Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover loosely and proof at warm room temperature for 2 hours until puffy and doubled.
10 - Preheat oven to 400°F.
11 - Whisk egg with milk until combined. Brush evenly over proofed croissants.
12 - Bake for 18–20 minutes until deep golden brown and crisp. Cool slightly on baking sheet before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • That moment when you cut into a freshly baked croissant and hear the crackle of buttery layers
  • Homemade chocolate croissants taste completely different from anything you can buy at a bakery
  • The process becomes meditative, and your kitchen will smell like a French patisserie
02 -
  • If your butter starts melting into the dough at any point, stop and chill everything immediately
  • The number of folds creates the layers, so do not rush through the chilling steps
  • A warm kitchen is your enemy during laminating, work quickly and keep things cold
03 -
  • Use a ruler during the rolling process, even experienced bakers eyeball it wrong sometimes
  • If the dough springs back while rolling, let it rest for 10 minutes and try again

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