Citrus Free Pain au Chocolat

Total time16 hr 20 min

Prep time1 hr 30 min

Cook time20 min

4.6

(5)

Few things in the pastry world feel as indulgent as pulling apart a shatteringly flaky, buttery roll to find a molten ribbon of dark chocolate inside. This classic French bakery staple is made entirely from scratch using flour, cold butter, whole milk, and dark chocolate — and every single ingredient here is naturally free of citrus, so there's no need to audit a label or swap anything out. The magic is all in the lamination process, where cold butter gets folded into the dough through a series of careful turns, building those impossibly thin, layered sheets that puff and crisp in the oven. It's a project recipe, no question — the dough needs time to rest and chill between folds — but none of those steps are difficult, just patient. The reward is a deeply golden pastry with caramelized edges, soft interior layers, and two chocolate batons tucked inside every roll. Serve them warm from the oven and you'll understand immediately why people line up for these at bakeries every single morning.

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Ingredients

8 servings

For the dough

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tsp instant yeast
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp fine salt
¾ cup whole milk, cold
¼ cup water, cold
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

For the butter block

1 cup (2 sticks / 225g) unsalted butter, cold

For the filling

16 dark chocolate batons (or 4 oz dark chocolate, cut into 16 short sticks)

For the egg wash

1 large egg
1 tbsp whole milk

Instructions

1
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the cold milk and cold water, then mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms, about 2 minutes. Add the 2 tbsp softened butter and increase to medium speed, mixing until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. The dough should be slightly tacky but not sticky.
2
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, shape it into a flat rectangle roughly 6×8 inches, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

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