Pain au chocolat

To prepare the pain au chocolat, first pour the milk 1 and water into a bowl with the crumbled yeast 2, then mix to dissolve it completely 3.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook 4, then add the flour 5 and sugar 6.

Also add the salt 7 and work at low speed for 5 minutes 8; the dough should not be too stringy 9.

Move to the work surface and form a smooth dough ball 10, then put it back in the bowl 11 and cover with several layers of plastic wrap 12. Let it rise in the refrigerator overnight.

In the meantime, prepare the butter for puff pastry: in the stand mixer fitted with a leaf attachment, pour in the flour 13 and softened butter 14, then mix until you get a homogeneous mixture 15; be careful not to overwork it.

Transfer the mixture to a sheet of parchment paper 16, cover with another sheet of parchment paper and roll out with a rolling pin 17 to form a square of about 20x20 cm, with a thickness of about 1 cm 18. Also put this in the refrigerator to rest.

The next morning, take the leavened dough 19 and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to obtain a rectangular shape twice as long as the side of the square 20. Place the square of butter in the center of the rectangle 21.

Fold the 2 side edges inwards 22 so as to completely cover the square of butter, taking care to make the edges of the dough coincide exactly in the middle 23. Roll out the puff pastry again with a rolling pin in the direction of the folds, starting first with small pressures to try not to break the butter inside. You will have to obtain another rectangle 24.

At this point, proceed with a 2-fold by folding the side edges towards the center and making them coincide 25. With a sharp knife, cut the sides of the rectangle obtained lengthwise 26. Transfer the puff pastry to a tray, cover with plastic wrap 27 and let it cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

After this time, take the dough again and proceed with another 2-fold 28 29, then put it on the tray 30 and let it rest for another 30 minutes in the refrigerator, always covered with plastic wrap. After this time, repeat the same operation for the third and last time, but the rest in the refrigerator will be about 1.5-2 hours.

After this time, the puff pastry will be very cold, so roll it out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface 31: you will have to obtain a rectangle of about 30x40 cm, 5 mm thick. With a cutter, divide the puff pastry into 8 equal rectangles measuring about 15x10 cm 32. Place 2 chocolate bars on each rectangle, placing the first one near the bottom edge and slightly spacing the second one 33.

Roll up the puff pastry rectangles so as to enclose the chocolate sticks inside 34, then place the rolls on a tray lined with parchment paper, well spaced 35. Spray the surface with a little water 36 and let it rise at room temperature for about 3 hours. You can cover them with a baking sheet or put them in the oven turned off with the light on, taking care to spray them with water from time to time if the surface should dry.

After the rising time, pour the egg yolk, egg, cream and salt into a small bowl 37, mix everything 38 and brush the pain au chocolat 2 times 39.

Bake in a preheated fan oven at 180°C for about 6 minutes, then insert a ball of aluminum foil into the door to keep it slightly open and continue cooking for another 12 minutes 40. When they are golden and fragrant, take them out of the oven and let them cool slightly 41. Your pain au chocolat is ready to be enjoyed 42!