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Three halves of chocolate croissant French bread.

Easy Twisted Chocolate Croissant French Bread

Yield: 4 small loaves
Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (227 g) salted butter, cool room temperature
  • 2 cups warm water, 105-110 degrees F
  • 1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 3/4 (675 g) cups all-purpose flour, more or less (see note)
  • ¾ to 1 cup (113 to 170 g) coarsely chopped good-quality semisweet or dark chocolate (see note)

Instructions 

  • For the butter packet: grab a piece of parchment paper about 16 1/4-inches by 12-inches (doesn't have to be exact, but should be close to those dimensions). Fold the two short edges of the parchment in toward each other about 4 1/2 inches. They will overlap a bit. Crease the edges well.
  • Keep those edges folded in and fold the top and bottom edges in about 1 3/4-inches. It should form a little parchment packet when folded with the center rectangle dimensions about 8 1/2-inches by 7-inches. See pictures in the post for a visual.
  • Unfold the parchment. Cut the butter into large pieces and place in the center of the parchment. Fold up the packet using the pre-creased folds and flip over so the folded edges are on the bottom.
  • Use a rolling pin, lightly tap the butter (too much aggression here and the parchment could rip) until it starts to flatten and merge into a thick square. Continue tapping or use the rolling pin to roll the butter into a thin sheet so it reaches all the edges of the parchment packet and has a relatively even thickness. Place in the fridge to chill while you make the dough.
  • For the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the water, yeast and sugar, and let sit until foamy, 2-3 minutes. Add the salt and flour and mix until a soft dough forms that clears the sides of the bowl. Add more flour, a little at a time, if the dough is sticking to the dough hook or sides of the bowl.
  • {It's REALLY important that this dough is not over floured and stiff or it will be hard to roll it out. On the flip side, a dough that is too soft and sticky can be problematic, too. Try for a dough that is soft and slightly sticky but easily clears the sides of the bowl. It should leave a light residue on your fingers but not be overly wet and sticky.}
  • Knead for 3-4 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth.
  • Cover the bowl or transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled, about an hour.
  • Lightly punch out the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured counter. Roll into a rectangle about 18-inches by 11- or 12-inches.
  • Take the butter packet out of the refrigerator, and unfold the parchment (but leave the butter on the parchment paper). Place the butter packet face down on the center of the rolled out bread dough. Peel the parchment carefully off the butter leaving the butter sheet on the dough.
  • Work quickly and don't over work the dough during the next couple steps of folding and rolling so the butter doesn't get too soft!
  • Fold one short side of dough about halfway to 2/3 over the butter. Fold the other short side of dough over the butter, overlapping the first folded side by about an inch.
  • Fold the top and bottom edges over about 1/2- to 1-inch and press to seal.
  • Fold the dough in half (from right to left or vice versa) once more.
  • Starting in the center, roll the dough out into a long, thin rectangle, about 8-inches by 22-inches. If the dough springs back when rolling, let it rest for 5-10 minutes to let the gluten relax and roll again.
  • Sprinkle about 2/3 of the chocolate over the dough all the way to the edges. Press chocolate lightly into the dough.
  • Fold one short edge of the long rectangle into the center over the chocolate. Repeat with the other short edge so they meet in the middle. Sprinkle remaining chocolate on bottom half of the dough, pressing the chocolate lightly into the dough.
  • Fold the dough in half over the chocolate (from one of the short sides).
  • Let the dough rest for 2-3 minutes. Prepare two half sheet pans by lining with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (400 degrees F for a darker crust).
  • Roll into a 12-inch or 13-inch square. If the dough springs back when rolling, let it rest for 5-10 minutes to let the gluten relax and roll again. Cut the square into four strips.
  • Take each strip, twist it 3-4 times and place on the prepared sheet pans (two strips per sheet pan, spaced several inches apart).
  • Cover and let rise until noticeably puffy (the dough can rise in the refrigerator overnight or for several hours - when taking out of the refrigerator, if it hasn't risen enough, let it come to room temp and continue rising until nearly doubled). You don't want to let these loaves rise in an overly warm spot or the butter will melt before it hits the oven and you won't get the flaky, buttery layers.
  • Bake the loaves until nicely golden, 20-22 minutes.
  • Immediately out of the oven, use a pastry brush to brush any leaked butter on the sheet pan over the top of the loaves.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature. Bread can be sliced or torn into pieces.

Notes

Flour: the exact amount of flour will depend on a lot of factors, mostly how you measure the flour. If you aren't using a kitchen scale, gently fluff the flour, scoop and then level. You may need a bit more flour if the dough is too sticky; it's totally fine to continue adding flour a little bit at a time until a soft, slightly sticky dough is formed that clears the sides of the bowl. I have not tried this recipe with whole wheat flour. 
Chocolate: good quality chocolate is key here for taste and meltability. I use Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips and coarsely chop them, but other chocolate chips (especially other brands like nestle or generic brands) won't melt/work as well as Ghiradelli or Guittard. A coarsely chopped high quality bar of chocolate would work well, too.
Helpful Tip: to ensure the butter doesn't get too soft or squeeze out of the dough when folding and rolling, make sure to work quickly and effectively once you start folding and rolling. Use quick, sure motions with the rolling pin and don't over work the dough. Also, make sure you aren't stretching the dough when folding it over. This could create super thin layers of dough that tear easily or cause the butter to peek through when rolling.