Turkey Free Pain au Chocolat
Flaky, buttery, and hiding a molten ribbon of dark chocolate inside, this French pastry is one of those baked goods that feels almost impossibly luxurious to pull off at home — and yet, with patience and a few solid techniques, it absolutely delivers. The lamination process, where cold butter is folded into the dough through a series of careful turns and rests, is what creates those impossibly thin, shattering layers that make each bite so satisfying. Keeping everything cold and working methodically is the real secret here, and the instructions walk you through each fold with enough detail that even first-timers can follow along with confidence. The filling is beautifully simple — just dark chocolate batons tucked and rolled into each pastry before proofing — so the quality of your chocolate genuinely matters and will shine through. Because this recipe is built entirely from flour, butter, milk, eggs, sugar, yeast, and chocolate, there's no need to scan labels for hidden poultry-derived additives or worry about what's lurking in a store-bought version. The double egg wash gives the finished pastries that gorgeous deep amber glaze you'd expect from a proper boulangerie window. Let them cool just long enough to handle, then tear one open and watch the chocolate stretch — that moment alone is worth every minute of chilling time.
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Learn more →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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