Chocolate Croissant: Homemade Chocolate Croissant Recipe

Note: The total time of this recipe does not reflect up to 23 hours of inactive time.

For the dough

• 1 cup warm water
• ½ cup warm milk
• 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 2 ⅓ cups bread flour
• 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour + more for rolling
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

For the butter block

• 1 pound unsalted butter
• 2 ounces all-purpose flour

For the chocolate filling

• 8 dark chocolate batons or 8 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips

For the egg wash

• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup milk

Make the dough:

1. 1

   In a small bowl, combine the warm water, warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Whisk it together until the sugar and yeast dissolve.

2. 2

   In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the bread flour, all-purpose flour, and salt.

3. 3

   Once the yeast mixture is foamy (about 5–10 minutes), slowly add it to the flour mixture on low speed. Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for about 10 minutes.

4. 4

   Then, add the butter, one cube at a time, until it’s fully incorporated into the dough.

5. 5

   Turn the dough ball out onto a lightly floured work surface. Cut an “x” shape into the center of the dough, cutting less than halfway through the dough to encourage it to rise into a square rather than a round ball.

6. 6

   Return the dough to the bowl of the stand mixer and cover it with a damp cloth. Set it in a warm place to double in size for about 1 hour.

7. 7

   After the dough rises, place it in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

Make the butter block:

1. 1

   While the dough chills, make the butter block. Place the butter and flour on a work surface, and knead the two together as if you were kneading dough.

2. 2

   Once the butter fully absorbs the flour, form the mixture into an 8-inch square. Cover that in plastic wrap and let it chill for a couple of hours until the butter is firm.

Layer the dough and the butter block:

1. 1

   Remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn the dough out onto the lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a square about 2 inches larger than the butter block, making it thicker in the center and thinner at the corners.

2. 2

   Remove the butter block from the refrigerator and place it in the middle of the dough square. Pull each corner of the dough around the butter clock, meeting in the middle and encasing it entirely.

3. 3

   Lightly flour the rolling pin and roll the dough into an approximately 24-inch-long rectangle.

4. 4

   Complete the first of three “turns.” Take one end of the rectangle and fold it into the middle of the rectangle. Then take the other end and fold it over the other piece, creating a square. Wrap the square in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for 6 hours.

5. 5

   For the second turn, remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Lightly pound the dough with the rolling pin to deflate it slightly. Position the dough so that the “closed” end of the dough faces the top of the work surface. Roll the dough into a 24-inch-long rectangle and repeat the folding, wrapping, and chilling process.

6. 6

   For the third and final turn, repeat the above step of folding, wrapping, and chilling the dough.

Shape the dough and add the filling:

1. 1

   After the final chilling time, roll the dough out into a ¼-inch-thick rectangle, about 16 inches long.

2. 2

   Trim off the rough edges of the dough with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Then, cut the dough in half lengthwise, creating 2 long, 16-inch strips of dough. Next, cut each half of the dough into 4 smaller rectangle pieces (not lengthwise) for a total of 8 pieces.

3. 3

   Place a chocolate baton (or 1 ounce of chocolate chips) at about the ⅓ mark of each piece of dough. Take one end of the rectangle and fold it into the middle, then take the other end and fold it over the first fold, similar to the “turns” or folding process for the dough.

4. 4

   Place the filled croissant on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, seam side down. Repeat the process for the remaining 7 croissants.

5. 5

   Cover the croissants with a damp cloth and place them in a warm place to rise until they’ve doubled in size, which takes about 1–2 hours.

6. 6

   With about 20 minutes remaining in the proofing time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make the egg wash:

1. 1

   Mix the large egg and milk together. Lightly brush the surface of the proofed croissants with egg wash. Then, carefully place them in the oven and bake them for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, rotate the sheet pan and bake them for another 10–20 minutes, or until the surface is very golden brown and crispy.

2. 2

   Serve warm or at room temperature.

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