Turmeric Free Pain au Chocolat
Few things in the pastry world rival the moment you pull apart a perfectly laminated chocolate pastry and watch those flaky, buttery layers separate to reveal a molten ribbon of dark chocolate inside. This recipe is a true labor of love — the kind that rewards patience with something that genuinely rivals what you'd find in a Parisian boulangerie window. The lamination process, built through three careful turns of folding cold butter into chilled dough, is what creates that signature honeycomb of crisp, airy layers that shatters when you bite in. For anyone navigating a sensitivity to certain spices and anti-inflammatory additives that sneak into store-bought pastries and chocolate products, making this from scratch puts you fully in control of every ingredient. The filling is straightforward dark chocolate — no blends, no mystery seasonings, just pure cocoa richness wrapped in buttery dough. Cold butter, cold milk, and a slow, methodical chill between each fold are the real secrets here, keeping the layers distinct and the texture impossibly light. These are best eaten still slightly warm from the oven, when the chocolate is just beginning to set and the crust crackles under your fingers.
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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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