Commonplace

Pains au Chocolat

Makes 16 pastries in 4 hours
  1. Mix the dough in the stand mixer:
    1. 500G pastry flour (get a scale, really)
    2. On one side of the bowl, 20G fresh baker's yeast (or 2.25 tsp of dry yeast, one packet)
    3. On the other side of the bowl, 10G sea salt (1.5tsp) and 60G cane sugar (a little over 0.25 cup)
    4. 27.5 CL nondairy milk
    5. Mix with a dough hook for 10 minutes at medium speed. The dough should pull away from the bowl.
  2. Remove the dough and form a ball. Cover with film and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  3. Degas the pastry and form a rectangle by hand. Cover with film and rest 30 minutes in the fridge.
  4. Laminate
    1. Remove from the fridge and roll out the dough lengthwise.
    2. Put 250G butter (~1 cup) at the center of the dough. Spread it to the size of the pastry.
    3. Fold the sides of the dough to cover the margarine (wallet fold). Join everything by pressing lightly with the rolling pin.
    4. Roll out the dough lengthwise. The resulting long rectangle should be about 0.5cm thick and about 80cm long.
    5. Fold the left side to a quarter of the rectangle, then the right to three quarters. Fold the dough in half. You have just completed a “double turn.”
  5. Rest in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.
  6. Laminate again
    1. Roll the dough out again lengthwise, to 1cm thick and 60cm long.
    2. Fold the dough in thirds. You just made a “simple turn.”
  7. Leave it in the fridge another 30 minutes.
  8. Form the pastries
    1. Flour the work surface and roll the pastry out to 60 x 40 cm.
    2. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then in half widthwise. Cut each new rectangle in half lengthwise and then widthwise.
    3. Use 2 batons of chocolate per rectangle Roll the pains au chocolat by first wrapping the first stick, then placing the second stick and continuing to roll.
    4. Set the pains au chocolat seam-down and flatten slightly so they don't unroll during cooking. Space them well on the baking sheet.
  9. Rest the pastries at room temperature for two hours.
  10. Heat the oven to 200C
  11. Mix 10CL nondairy milk and 100G cane sugar, and brush the pastries with the mix.
  12. Bake 15-20 minutes

Based on Pâtisserie Vegan by Bérénice Leconte.