Dish · french
Pain au Chocolat
A laminated, yeasted pastry similar to croissant dough, rolled around one or two batons of dark chocolate and baked until the layers puff and crisp.
Where it comes from
Laminated viennoiserie dough spread through French bakeries in the nineteenth century after techniques associated with Austrian baking arrived in Paris. The chocolate-filled version became a standard breakfast pastry alongside the plain croissant.
What cooks argue about
Bakers argue over how many turns to give the butter-laminated dough: more folds make thinner, more numerous layers, but overworking the dough toughens it and can cause the butter to break through while baking.
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