To preface why I chose the bi color pain au chocolat, this is a pastry I made in 2016 at Terre Blanche Resort for Valrhona Chocolat corporate.
The pain au chocolat, much like the croissant, is a staple in French boulangeries. The pastry is made from the same dough as the croissant but it is filled with chocolate batons and rolled up like a log.
I have adopted the bi-color technique at Café Ficelle. The bi-color process involves laminating one detrempe (I preform a double fold and a single fold). Then I have a colored dough that I lay on top of the fully laminated detrempe like a blanket. I preform the final sheeting and cut the dough in to 3.5”x5.5” rectangles (12×8 cm). Then I I score the dough with a lame. This scoring technique gives the pastry a lattice appearance.
After I score the outer layer of chocolate dough, I roll the batons inside like a log. The pastry then proof for 2.5 hours at 75°F. I bake the pastry at 360°F for 20 minutes. For the final touch, I brush the baked chocolate layer with a simple syrup to make the chocolate color pop.
The Baker's Hands 