Sourdough Pain au Chocolat
These sourdough pain au chocolat are buttery, flaky, and filled with pockets of dark chocolate that melt into the pastry as they bake. They're made from laminated sourdough dough, naturally leavened with active starter.
Ingredients
Sourdough starter
- 20 g starter
- 60 g all-purpose flour
- 60 g water
Dough
- 220 g water
- all the sourdough starter or around 120g active starter
- 450 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g sugar
- 8 g salt
- 40 g unsalted butter room temperature
Butter packet:
- 250 g unsalted butter
Chocolate Filling
- 200 g semi-sweet chocolate chopped, or chocolate batons
Egg Wash
- 1 egg + 1 Tbsp water
Instructions
The evening before
- Feed the starter. Mix the starter, flour, and water at a ratio of 1:3:3 in a small jar until combined. Leave at room temperature overnight until doubled and bubbly. If your kitchen is warm, use 1:5:5 so it rises more slowly. 20 g starter, 60 g all-purpose flour, 60 g water
- Day 1
- Mix the dough. Whisk the active levain into the water in a large bowl until loosened. Add the flour, sugar, and salt and mix until a dough forms, about 3-4 minutes. 220 g water, all the sourdough starter, 450 g all-purpose flour, 50 g sugar, 8 g salt
- Tip onto the bench, add the softened butter, and knead until fully incorporated and smooth. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and ferment at room temperature (ideally 23-25°C/74-77°F) for 3-5 hours until risen by 30-40%. 40 g unsalted butter
- Chill the dough. Press the dough into a flat rectangle. Wrap tightly in parchment or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Make the butter packet. Slice the cold butter and arrange the pieces in a grid on a sheet of parchment paper. Place a second sheet on top and bash and roll into an even, flat block. Fold the parchment edges in to create a neat 15x20cm (6x8 inch) frame and press the butter to fill it evenly. Refrigerate until cold. If using the flour method, soften the butter first, mix in 1½ tablespoons of flour, then roll between the parchment sheets into the same size rectangle. 250 g unsalted butter
- Encase the butter. Remove the butter from the fridge and give it a few firm bashes with the rolling pin to make it pliable again. Check that it's cold but also nice and bendy and doesn't break.
- Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured bench into a 20x30cm (8x12 inch) rectangle. Place the butter in the centre. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up to encase it. Pinch the edges firmly to seal. Score a shallow slit along each long edge to relieve tension. Turn the dough 90 degrees.
- Roll and fold. Using a rolling pin, press across the dough first to start dispersing the butter, then roll to around 8mm thick, focusing on length rather than width. Always roll away from you in one direction; rolling back and forth drags the layers in opposite directions and smears the butter. Check it's not sticking and dust lightly with flour if needed. Trim the uneven short ends to expose the layers, then brush off any excess flour. Fold the bottom third up and the top third down (a letter fold). Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Repeat twice more. Take the dough from the fridge and rotate it 90 degrees from how it was last folded. Before rolling, gently press the rolling pin across the surface of the dough to test how it responds. You are not trying to flatten it, just checking whether it gives slightly. If it feels completely solid, leave it on the bench for 5 minutes before continuing.Roll to 8mm thick, trim uneven edges, brush off flour, and letter-fold again. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes. Repeat one final time for three folds total. Note: if the butter shatters when you start rolling, it's too cold; leave the dough on the bench for 5-10 minutes. If the butter feels soft or greasy, refrigerate it immediately. After the third fold, wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
Day 2
- Roll and cut. Remove the dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured bench, roll the dough to around 4mm thick into a 35x40cm (14x16 inch) rectangle. Cut it in half across the length to give two 35x20cm pieces. Then cut each piece into 5 strips by cutting every 7cm along the 35cm side. You should have 10 strips in total, each about 7x20cm (3x8 inch).
- Shape. Place a line of chocolate pieces across one short end of each strip. Roll the dough over once to enclose the chocolate, then place a second line of chocolate pieces directly in front of the roll. Continue rolling up to the end, enclosing both layers. Place seam-side down on a baking-paper-lined tray, spaced well apart. 200 g semi-sweet chocolate
- Proof. Leave at room temperature (23-25°C/74-77°F) for 4-6 hours until visibly puffier and jiggly when the tray is moved. The layers should be visible. If drying out, brush lightly with water. If your kitchen is cool, place in a turned-off oven with a cup of hot water to the side, not directly underneath, as the heat can melt the butter layers.
- Egg wash and bake. Preheat the oven to 205°C/400°F. Mix the egg and water, then brush the top surface of each pastry carefully. Avoid letting egg wash drip down the cut sides. Place an extra tray on the rack below to catch butter drips. Bake for 18-22 minutes until deeply golden brown. Cool for at least 20 minutes. Dust with icing sugar to serve. 1 egg + 1 Tbsp water
Notes
- Levain: If you're using an existing active starter, use 120g of fed, active starter at peak rise.
- Bulk ferment visual cue: In the initial dough rise you're looking for a 30-40% rise, not a full double. The dough should look noticeably puffier. In a cooler kitchen this may take up to 5 hours.
- Chilling before laminating: After the bulk ferment the dough will be soft and warm. Chilling it first so it matches the butter's firmness is what gives you clean, even layers.
- Chocolate: Good quality dark chocolate with 60-70% cocoa gives the best result. Chopped bar chocolate melts better than chips.
- Final proof: Don't rush this. Underproofed pastries will seem dense and gummy inside even if they look baked on the outside.
- Temperature: If your kitchen is warmer than 25°C/77°F, work quickly and refrigerate the dough for an extra 10-15 minutes between folds if you feel it warming up.
- Freezing: Baked pastries freeze well for up to 3 months. Reheat directly from frozen at 170°C/340°F for 10-15 minutes. You can also freeze shaped but unproofed pastries; thaw and proof at room temperature for 6-8 hours before baking.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pain au chocolatCalories: 442kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 6gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 265mgPotassium: 146mgFiber: 2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 612IUCalcium: 23mgIron: 3mg
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