Chocolate the french way. (Pain aux Chocolat)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Pain aux Chocolat
Date:	06/09/08 (155 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good for elevenses

Disadvantages: fattening

Hands up who likes chocolate.

We visited France this year and I consume several of these. The better ones coming from bakers in villages not the major supermarkets.
Theses have not been available in England till recent years and I miss the thrill of visiting forieng countries and finding foods I am not familiar with at home, I think these taste better in France than in England any way.
So let me describe a pain aux chocolate also called a chocolatine we found in the South west of France. The translation of the French name literally is chocolate bread.

Pain aux chocolate is made with Brioche dough which is buttery bread dough. This is rolled out to a rectangle then chocolate pieces a bit like chocolate drops, sprinkled on to it. The dough then rolled up Swiss roll like and baked. (Recipe at end of review.)

These pain aux cocolat taste a butterery bready flavor. Each bite contains some chocolate pieces,

These bread buns are often eaten for breakfast, they are good as a mid morning snacking or as a dessert in a packed lunch they are also fantastic with a cup of tea in the afternoon. I supposed you could eat them at a high tea .They go down well as an evening snack too.

These pain aux chocolat are really at their best straight from the bakers still warm. They are also good if you warm them in the oven yourself before eating. You can of course eat these delicious chocolate breads cold too.


You can buy pain aux colcolat in most bakers and supermarkets in France individually or in a bag with lots in.

In England Tesco sell a bag of ten for £1.74. I can not remember or find the French price but I think for an individual pain aux chocolate it was just under 1 euros

RECIPE

500g strong white flour
15g Salt
75g Sugar
25g Yeast
270ml water
400g Butter

Make these ingredients in to a bread dough leave to rise.
roll out the dough into a rectangle spread with an apricot or any other jam and sprinkle chocolate onto it ( chocolate drops / buttons or chunks from any chocolate is good , mars bar pieces work well )
Brush some milk or beaten egg on top for a glaze
Roll this up Swiss roll like cut into small pieces and bake at 200 c for 15 -20 mins.
I bet you can not resist one as soon as they come out of the oven. There are many similar recipes on line just put in your search.

You could always make a similar one with puff pastry.
Left over Pain aux chocolate make splendid bread and butter pudding too. I have also seen similar croissants with chocolate too

Summary: Chocolate bread