Chocolate Bread

What’s better than warm pastry? Warm pastry with chocolate inside!

My first experience with petit pains au chocolate was about thirty years ago. I was visiting my brother. He lived in Belgium.

There was a bakery across the street from his house. In my head a chocolate croissant or chocolate bread would be made with a chocolate dough. So when he handed me the pastry I was a little confused. Why wasn’t it brown?

Then I had my first bite. The chocolate is encased in that soft, buttery dough. Somehow the chocolate stays soft and gooey.

It was amazing! I have been hooked ever since.

The dough for this recipe is super soft and almost silky.

The eggs make the dough very rich, which is exactly what you want.

The bread doesn’t really take all that much more time than a regular bread would. There is slightly less kneading time, which is nice.

The chocolate and butter combine beautifully to give you a lovely and soft filling. Rolling the dough around the chocolate gives you the fabulous layers.

These are not croissants - but a lovely sweet bread. So they are a bit more filling than a croissant. But they are just as buttery and delicious

This is a wonderful recipe for an absolutely delicious sweet bread.

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FRENCH PETIT PAINS AU CHOCOLAT

1 Package Yeast

1/4 Cup Warm Water

3/4 Cup Scalded Milk

1/2 Cup Shortening

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

3/4 Teaspoon Salt

4 Eggs

4 1/2 Cups Sifted Flour

Salad Oil

Soft Butter

12 Bars Milk Chocolate, 7/8 Ounce Each

Sprinkle yeast into warm water. Stir until dissolved. In a large bowl, combine the milk, shortening, sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm. Stir in three beaten eggs. Beat in 2 cups flour with a spoon until smooth and elastic. Stir in yeast. Add remaining flour. Brush top with oil. Cover with wax paper and a towel. Let rise until doubled in bulk. Punch down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly for 5 minutes. Roll to 1/4 inch thick. Cut dough into 24 circles 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Pat each circle into a 4 1/2 inch oval. Spread with butter. Place one chocolate bar on the end of each oval. Gently fold and pinch the edges up, enclosing the chocolate. Place seam side down on greased sheets. Brush generously with beaten egg. Let rise until doubled in bulk. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 15 minutes. Serve warm.