Beginner Friendly Flaky Pain au Chocolat

Trying every pan au chocolate I find, is a passion of mine. Today, I'll show you how to make a delicious and FLAKY beginner friendly version at home. Click here sbird.co/3VnSbW5 and use my code LAGERSTROM to get 55% OFF your first month at Scentbird. Currently only available in the US & CA.
FULL RECIPE & INSTRUCTIONS @ : www.brianlagerstrom.com/recipe...
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INGREDIENTS
225 grams or 16Tbsp high-fat butter, softened (for lamination)
165 grams or ⅔c warm water
165 grams or ⅔c scalded milk, cooled to 90°F (32°C)
8 grams or 2t instant yeast
50 grams or 1/4c sugar
10 grams or 1 ¾t salt
515g or 4c all purpose flour
Additional 40 grams or 3Tbsp softened unsalted butter
1 4-ounce bar (115 grams) 70% cacao baking chocolate
1 egg
Splash of milk
🎧MUSIC:
EPIDEMIC SOUND. Free trial available at: www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
This month, I tried:
Dirty Coconut by Heretic Parfum sbird.co/3oi2Lll
Paragon by Initio Parfums Prives sbird.co/3MDc2xO
Blockade by Mind Games sbird.co/434Kp6f
Sweet Taboo by Chris Collins sbird.co/45berHc
#chocolatecroissant #painauchocolat

[@BrianLagerstrom]

Anyone else have folders on their phone of pov pastry shots? Just me? Click here sbird.co/3VnSbW5 and use my code LAGERSTROM to get 55% OFF your first month at Scentbird.

[@davidgovertsen7052]

LOL, my phone is full of photos of my kid, my cats, and pies (quarantine baking project). Looking forward to trying this pain au chocolat, thanks as always for making this a great channel!

[@Syniminies]

Happy 1MIL :)

[@simonedwards1963]

Nope, no photos. But I'll say this: I made the mistake of having one I France - others elsewhere are so disappointing after that experience I stopped eating them.

[@user-kh8oi5xr1d]

@

[@AndySpicer]

Hell yeah!

[@EdwardScape]

Bri, you are the sole reason I am getting out of shape. I will definitely try this!

[@BrianLagerstrom]

SORRY. Maybe only eat 1?!

[@BrianLagerstrom]

haha sorry

[@JB_Fraulein_Kunst]

Haha same! We need to form a support group 😂

[@NeverGiveIn1999]

@@JB_Fraulein_Kunstonly if Bri provides the catering!

[@YashKnowsBest]

@@BrianLagerstromhaha yes

[@olliedude8]

For anyone wondering, I froze some croissants. From frozen solid to proofed they sat on my counter for 5 hours. My apartment was about 75°. No expert. Just my experience if you’re wondering and trying to plan that process out.

[@janesmith9628]

Thanks for creating a beginner friendly version! I’ve never felt confident enough to try any of the recipes I’ve seen, but I think I could do this one!! Thanks for the tips and tricks and most of all for the encouragement ❤

[@Michael_Brock]

Go for it.

[@adamplace1414]

As a slowly learning baker I always looked at croissants as the ultimate challenge: yeasted, enriched, AND laminated all in one. This really did make them look doable, and if the end result is *pain au chocolat* then sign me up for a Peugeot and a beret, cause I'm in.

[@sandraglaze7872]

Wow this is the most home cook friendly recipe for pain au chocolat I’ve ever come across. Thank you, can’t wait to try it!

[@ohiko9594]

Brian's moves get smoother and smoother with each video It's a wonderful recipe, love it!

[@benjith3hunted]

Very accessible, I geeked out on croissant how to and made some over the winter and your video really demos a realistic beginner process.

[@RandyPandy1]

Love the recipe! Took a croissant making class in Paris recently and really like where you simplified to be more approachable and faster.

[@itskitty808]

I honestly love pain au chocolat! It's my favorite pastry to eat.

[@ChuckWestfield]

This is my favorite pastry. Thank you so freaking much for this.

[@BrianLagerstrom]

ITS THE BEST PASTRY

[@kajsahanses6100]

This is great! Been waiting for a recipe like this one. Straight forward and feels doable👌👌 Have a fantastic summer! 🍀 Greetings from Sweden 🇸🇪

[@paulkim1011]

Who has a fridge that empty to fit a tray?

[@juliabishop1408]

I'm in love with this pastry 😍

[@itspodin]

Editing the dance at the end to sync with the music was a nice touch! Great recipe and video as always!

[@dimilton3166]

I was thinking the same thiiiiing!

[@AaronLaye]

Great recipe idea! While I find all your recipes foolproof, I love the beginner friendly aspects of this and your explanations as to where to cut corners for minimum impact in the final product.

[@Guitguy57]

That mixed dough being chucked into the bowl was very satisfying

[@Pkilla80]

Omg I love it and i love your energy and personality.

[@angelica_mannielet]

I have learned a simple baking techniques from Sir Bri and the flaky pain au chocolat is so good 👍

[@Dharmakaya1969]

Wow, I've got to try this beginner's friendly pain au chocolat. Merci beaucoup!

[@bephomus719]

I live in a tropical country (Laos), first time I've made croissant dough there, I ended up with brioche and didn't really know what was the problem because the recipe worked before in my home country, and I tried to freeze the dough for 20/30min after each fold. I abandoned the idea of working with chocolate or croissant dough, but your video just motivated me to make some this week end. I'll try doing it using the AC in another room!

[@spankyeditz]

congrats on 1 mil

[@ArielK1987]

One of the best things about you. Is that you let the food you let the food speak for themselves. Instead of being all flashy like some of these other KZbinrs with their camera tricks and all that.

[@dimilton3166]

Riiiight?!?

[@Cubeforc3]

The moment there are fart jokes or weird faces flying around my screen I'm out. In the meantime I will continue to enjoy the best YT cooking channel going.

[@eCKsplorer]

I'm loving your content and can't wait to try some of your recipes, like with your quick and easy bagels. My girlfriend and I were in Naples this summer and had a Sfogliatelle and we loved it. We tried to make our own this weekend with decent, mixed results but definitely a work in progress. I would love to see your take on this pastry!

[@elsafischer3247]

This is gift my daughters LOVE pan of chocolate. Thank you

[@TheOneCleanHippy]

Congrats on hitting a million, dude. You deserve it.

[@jodyirwin1046]

My new favorite treat!

[@ethakis]

It's a marvelous idea!

[@lehui8266]

This is awesome! Will try!

[@bcal5962]

Ridiculous how good these look!

[@Elizabeth-490]

Genius! Butter trap and pan flattening!

[@gibbyg2001]

I have to try this. One of my all time favorite things to eat

[@padders1068]

Hey Bri! Thanks for sharing your baking masterclass! 🙂😋

[@Centripital1]

I made this today, it came out great! I was surprised at how good the bread flaked and layered. My only change I will make for next time is that I'm not the biggest fan of dark chocolate, so I will do a more milky chocolate in the center.

[@cmjensen]

I’m totally trying this!!

[@leahr.2620]

I just went to Nathaniel Reed on Sat and got my husband a chocolate croissant, can't wait to try your receipe.

[@CaribbeanLife101]

Looks delicious 😋

[@ceetwyce335]

Hey Bri! Your bread and pastry skills are remarkable! ❤

[@BrianLagerstrom]

Thanks Bro. Please try this haha

[@rolandebuelens5274]

Très bonne recette, je vais l'essayer

[@TheYoutubeUser69]

i am an avid dancer while/after cooking, especially when it tastes good. I think that might be why i love your work so much. keep the good stuff coming my dude!

[@CraigWhargoul]

congratz on 1m subs!!!!

[@karenfox1671]

Thank you so much for making a beginner friendly croissant dough that I think I can handle without a stand mixer, because I still don't have one. I really appreciate the tips showing me how to make a fool proof butter block. I can't wait to work with your pillowy dough. You just know these are pain au chocolate are going to melt in your mouth!!!!!!

[@johncspine2787]

I have to put a recommendation in for a stand mixer (biggest one you can save up for) because there are plenty of breads (like Brian’s ciabatta..changed my life..) as they handle really wet doughs your hands would just really suck at, and you can obtain reliable, duplicate-able results that are professional! His ciabatta, when you see the mixer start to take this batter, basically, (looks like it’ll never be a dough at first) and then it starts coming together, then form a ball, then come up off the bottom and slap the sides you get a process result you can see and duplicate no matter how your ingredients or measurements change..just up the speed and time for wetter doughs, and sooner or later the gluten kicks in and it magically comes up and starts slapping around..

[@rhaehodges]

Love your channel. I admire your talent. Was gonna watch this vid but your thumbnail looked suggestive

[@tracygall4883]

Oh my gosh how do I pick just one thing?! I think it would have to be the categorization of the grocery list so that I'm not running back and forth from section to section or having to scroll through the list to check off each item in a particular section of the store. Thank you so much for creating this! It truly looks like a labor of love!

[@mosesb2054]

well done on 1m Brian x

[@pwp8737]

Not sure what I enjoy most, the recipes or Brian's little victory dance at the end.

[@TheOwnigianChronicles]

Can't wait to try this out this weekend! Keep up the good work, Brian!

[@kenromero9236]

Love the recipe and the editing. No BS just the facts.

[@user-zd6ow2gt7i]

Ingenious!

[@shereemorgan1430]

I had my best one outside of France in Hollywood California. The person who made them, was French. I got two, I could care less about the calories at that time. I wish I could remember the name of the shop. It was near the Hollywood Hills.

[@HighKingTurgon]

Hey Bri, I have been making daily loaves between some tight-paycheck weeks, and you may be delighted to learn that I am always tugging on my dough thinking to myself, "tearing? Shearing?" Noice." You have done this.

[@The8888Best]

love the little dancing at the end

[@margamunson7328]

Ive tried making these at home and failed miserably. Will definitely be giving your version a go!

[@AndrewFlower]

so kind that you even taught everyone how to draw a rectangle of a certain size! As funny as I think it is, it's very likely actually useful to some people.

[@madhus2557]

Brian this looks amazing! Any tips for leftovers (after baking)? How would you reheat them while somewhat maintaining quality? Going to attempt this without a dough mixer

[@EDMemm]

I really appreciated you saying the mixer speed! I made your glazed donuts last week and almost burned out my motor since I guessed "high speed" was like a 6-7. 8 minutes of that was a lot for my 6 qt. KitchenAid. Good to know for the future!

[@tim_schu5850]

Came here to say this too. Does every baker mean 4-5 on the kitchenaid when they say "high?" Not very intuitive when the speeds go all the way to 10.

[@cindyms.1237]

I've always wanted to be able to make these but the directions always seemed like too much to go through in my tiny kitchen. Thank you for making a more friendly version for us

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

Magnificent!

[@steisdre]

Amazing, massive congrats on the milli!!

[@BrianLagerstrom]

Thanks a ton!

[@trvlr1173]

Nice job flattening out the butter into a flat form. I wonder if a wringer, with the rollers loosened, might be able to flatten the butter out into a flat sheet within the flat parchment square.

[@mohammadhassan686]

Hi, great recipe as usual. Your videos always give me consistant and delicious results. Could you do "tres leches" for your next cake/dessert video. Please and thanks.

[@danielsimms5796]

"oh I'll use a flat thing to make it flat" 😂

[@vasyan123]

Thats a great recipe of chocolatine

[@ronalddevine9587]

C'est magnifique.

[@jessywanders8829]

I am excited to make these for my boyfriend!❤

[@jhwheuer]

To press the butter block, I use a KitchenAid cutting board. Can be cooler in the fridge.

[@hyghbred2563]

Looks amazing. My new favorite channel, did your pizza dough last night. Caesar dressing last week and shrimp tacos as well. Also made your sandwich bread. All amazing.

[@BrianLagerstrom]

Thanks for trying the recipes

[@BrianLagerstrom]

you're cruising through the hits. thanks for watching!

[@dimilton3166]

Duuuuuude, yes!!! Those recipes are amazing! Highly recommend his chicken Parmesan! That sauce..🤌 Perfection! I make it about once a week

[@hyghbred2563]

@@dimilton3166 For sure I will give it a try. His stuff has not yet to disappoint.

[@LemonLimeJuiceBarrell]

Agreed! He has some of the best recipes on YT. I have been making his baguette/hoagie rolls for months. I always keep them on hand for sandwiches and they are always such a hit!

[@kayanncee8291]

Those look great! I found that it was difficult to cut the chocolate into strips, so before I invested in a box of chocolate batons (from Amazon, since I had been making pain au chocolat almost weekly), I used semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 28g (1 oz) of chips) and folded the dough into thirds to encase them. I also closely monitored the temp of my dough with a meat thermometer. The last thing that is super important is making sure that they are adequately proofed before baking. I think that they need more proofing time than you think. They really need to be airy and jiggly before you bake them because it prevents too much butter from leaking out.

[@BrianLagerstrom]

Agree, almost overproofed

[@Fafhrd42]

I've found that the reason chocolate tends to break apart weirdly when cutting is because of the uneven pressure, so what I do is actually use my bench scraper instead of any knife, place it across the chocolate, and give it a firm whack.

[@mdbbox5660]

Hey Bri... nice work on the 1M subs!

[@imbykji]

Neato. You could use a warmed knife to cut the chocolate too

[@seanwright1264]

"I bet that guy smells pretty good..." Great ad read! 😂 I'm excited to try this. Thanks, brother!

[@AthenaisC]

Omg, I want this. ❤

[@lutafun]

Doing this in a tropic country will be a sport

[@kellymcelhinney9985]

Making these today! Well attempting anyway🥴

[@Chillsies]

Hey bri, great video. If I wanted to do 1 more little baby food to hit 16 layers, what should I look out for to make sure I don’t end up with a brioche?

[@JT-JAES]

Thank you!!!!! 😊 😋 🤤

[@CalamityCannon]

New subscriber! Food youtube usually bores me - I'd rather read a recipe unless there's unfamiliar technique involved. But the specificity and helpful visuals here - while *making my favorite pastry(!!!)* - has me swooning

[@jonathansteil2281]

Brian, hey! Love the channel. thanks for you work. Tried the Pain au chocolat today. They did not rise properly at the end and leaked butter while baking. Resulting in frying at the butter rather than baking. Happened the second time. Any recommendations to fix that?

[@PawFromTheBroons]

Ooooooooh! You've opened Pandora's box. In France, us guys from south western Aquitaine call this a *chocolatine*. You'd be confronted with a deadpan look, if you dare to ask for a Pain au Chocolat. 😆

[@ksp6091]

Yeah but i'm sure you can get a death stare from anyone in france is you call that a "chocolate croissant"

[@KryssAA]

Team Pain au Chocolat from your french fans here ! :D

[@okamicookie]

I was on a keto diet until today. We made your croissants and ate that for dinner 🥐🥐🥐

[@tinasesselmann8170]

I just made the recipe, and while I am overall happy with the results, I found the chocolate too bitter. And I normally love dark choc. But the buttery puff pastry was amazing. Also, I turned the scraps into improvized palmiers, and those were dope!

[@zvezdoblyat]

70% is the mildest dark chocolate, though?

[@tinasesselmann8170]

@@zvezdoblyat I'm not sure where the demarcation line between semisweet and dark goes exactly, but 50% would be semisweet I think. So you might be right

[@zvezdoblyat]

@@tinasesselmann8170 so how do you like dark chocolate if this was too bitter for you? Or did you not use 70%

[@tinasesselmann8170]

@@zvezdoblyat i normally love dark chocolate around 70% and I really don't know why I didn't like it in the croissant 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@zvezdoblyat]

@@tinasesselmann8170 that's interesting. I think I usually eat dark chocolate naturally, not in any cookies or pastries, so I'm not sure I the taste changes if you cook it

[@seanharding]

I do want to tempt fate with additional layers, would you recommend repeating the book fold every time, or do something different?

[@Lightwork333]

Brian!!! Please a recipe for scones next!!

[@bigmclargehuge8219]

Man, I've been tormenting myself with your videos this last week waiting for my check to come in so I can get some good food, and this.. this is too much. Those look so good. I'm gonna die. Worth it though.

[@NewVenari]

Alex the French Guy had said that between 6-8 layers was the optimal number of layers for outside crisp to inside fluffy. I guess you did well only doing that many :)

[@chasecreechproduction6914]

"I'll use a flat thing to make this flat." Words of wisdom from Bri guy

[@lenemariakowalczyk9777]

Oh wow🤩😋

[@basedholocaustdenier]

As a swissman I approve. I'd also love to see you take on a northshore style hot roast beef sandwich or a new york style pizzeria chicken roll.

[@EDWRFle]

I hope u used thise side pieces u cut off to roll I. Cinnamon sugar to make Palmiers the elephant ears cookies. Please say u did great beginner video. Brings back memories of my very first time I made croissant so many years ago. ❤❤❤

[@benjaminlee3158]

Looks great brian. There a way to make these gluten free?

[@michelefrost734]

Oh man, pain au Chocolat is what I'd choose for a last meal. Nothing else, just that. BTW, if you want to get fancy, King Arthur Flour sells chocolate batons for making pain au Chocolat, no risk of shattering.

[@RaynmanPlays]

When was the butter rectangle technique developed? I remember a lot of TV chefs were using cold slices of butter and folding the dough over like that. Was it not considered suitable for home cooks before or is it a new creation?

[@user-jn9pv1dq9h]

If I want to prep them the day before making - could I form them and refrigerate & then the morning of, proof them - or should I still freeze them before proofing?

[@toko25]

I remember reading/seeing somewhere that lower %cacao chocolate works better with pain au chocolate because it doesnt leak as much? What's been your experience Bri?

[@msauthor9210]

Hi ! Can i use store bought puff pastry for this?

[@vaccinescauseautism9835]

how would you bake these from frozen? defrost to room temp first or just throw it in for longer

[@aaronhibiscus4462]

I suck at making laminated dough but im gonna try this for sure. Stopping at 8 layers makes more sense fr

[@BrianLagerstrom]

yeah, it's just SO much more achievable for anyone who's not super experienced. hope it works for you!

[@Mordal1222]

0:43 Make sure not to reprimend the milk for cooling too slowly, otherwise you'll get scolded milk.

[@laneythelame]

I was just thinking to myself I'd LOVE to try this pastry one day as it isnt available in my country and you drop this gem of a vid so I can finally try it myself. Thank you Brian!!!

[@BrianLagerstrom]

good luck. let me know how it turns out for you.