If you long for slightly warm pain au chocolat directly from a Paris pâtisserie, long no more! This chocolate bread offers real competition! If you battle to understand the finishing instructions, go to my instagram account (karen_claassen) or my YouTube channel, for a demonstration video.
300ml milk
30ml butter
10g instant yeast
80ml sugar
a pinch of salt
850ml cake flour
2 egg yolks
350g chocolate spread
2 egg whites
Put a small saucepan onto the heat and warm the milk in it.
Stir the butter into the milk so that it can melt.
Allow the milk to come to a temperature where you can comfortably keep your finger in it without feeling it is hot.
Sprinkle the yeast onto the milk and give it a good stir. Set aside for 5 minutes or so.
Add the sugar, salt and flour to a large mixing bowl.
Add the yeast mixture as well as the egg yolks and mix to form a rough dough.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to stand until doubled in volume.
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide it into four equal pieces.
Roll the first portion of dough into a circle - I like to measure my circle with the loose-bottom of a 22cm cake tin. This is a real help in getting all the circles/discs to the same size.
Transfer this dough circle onto your prepared baking sheet and spread a third of the chocolate spread as evenly as you can over the dough.
Repeat this process with the other three portions of dough.
Once the last dough circle has been placed onto the stack, you are ready to cut and shape your bread. If you have difficulty in following this process, go to my instagram account or my YouTube channel for demonstration video.
Finishing instructions:
Imagine a 5cm diameter circle as the centrepiece of your dough circles - DO NOT cut through this circle.
Now, if the dough circles were a clock, make an incision from the centre circle on 12 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock.
Half each of the four triangles you have so that you are left with 8 pieces.
Lastly, cut through each of the 8 pieces to end up with 16.
Now lift two pieces that are next to each other, one in each hand, and make two twists in opposite directions. Carefully place these pieces down. Keep going until all of the bread pieces have been twisted and your have a beautifully patterned bread.
Cover the bread with a clean tea towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
Whisk the two egg whites with a fork and glaze the bread with it.
Bake for 20 minutes, until golden.
Serve slightly warm.
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