Vegan Pain Au Chocolat

square image of stacked chocolate croissants with powdered sugar on top

5 stars (2 ratings)

Vegan Pain Au Chocolat

Vegan Pain Au Chocolat are a dream come true and not too difficult to make at home. There is nothing better than a warm freshly baked chocolate croissant!

Prep Time4 30

Cook Time25

Total Time4 55

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: French

Servings: croissants

Calories: 333kcal

Author: Nora Taylor

Ingredients

Vegan pain au chocolat

4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 packets instant yeast 4 teaspoons
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cups vegan butter sticks work best
1 cup soy milk
10 ounce bag vegan chocolate chips or chocolate batons, chopped chocolate bars

Vegan egg wash

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy milk

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the flour, sugar, yeast and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Slice the cold vegan butter into slices (about 1/8 inch thick) and toss in the flour mixture with a spatula. Don't use a mixer; this will break up the butter too much. You want to simply toss it into the flour mixture.
Pour in the milk and and stir until a stiff, rugged dough with chunks of butter forms. Do not use your hands too much, you don't want to melt the butter at all.
Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap (or other eco-friendly wrap) and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
After an hour, take the dough out of the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a long rectangle-type shape. It will be messy and not look smooth at first, but it will get smoother as you fold and roll the dough.
Fold the dough into thirds like you would fold a letter (see photos above for reference). Roll it out into a large rectangle, then turn the dough 90 degrees, and repeat the rolling/folding process 5 more times. You should see large streaks of butter but the dough should be smooth. If the butter starts to soften in the middle of this, return to the refrigerator or freezer until stiff again.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap again and chill in the refrigerator for another hour.
Divide the dough in half (this makes it easier to work with) and roll one half into a large rectangle (about 20 inches long, 10 inches wide and 1/8 inch thick). With a pizza cutter, trim away an uneven edges to make a clean rectangle.
Cut the dough into about 16 smaller rectangles.
Line chocolate chips on the bottom of the rectangle, closest to you, then carefully roll the dough up around the chocolate. Tuck the seam underneath the dough. You can also add another layer of chocolate as you roll, about 1 1/2 inches from the other side of the rectangle as you roll.
Place on a parchment lined pan and cover loosely. Allow the pastries to rise for 1 hour at room temperature, then place in the freezer or refrigerator for 30 minutes.
While the chocolate croissants are chilling, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a small bowl, stir the maple syrup and soy milk together.
Gently brush the syrup/milk mixture onto the dough, then place in the center rack of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown. Remove from the oven. Dust with powdered sugar before serving and enjoy!

Notes

Overnight Pain Au Chocolat - After folding the dough (when you would refrigerate it for an hour), refrigerate overnight instead. In the morning, continue on with the recipe as written. Once shaped into croissants, they may need a little extra time to rise at room temperature (about 2 hours if possible).
Chocolate options - Chocolate batons are the easiest to work with, but they can be difficult to find (vegan versions, anyhow). I used chocolate chips which truly worked well. You can also use vegan chocolate bars, cut into pieces or sticks if you can.
They will keep for up to 3 days at room temperature but are best fresh. You can freeze them as well.
You must make sure the vegan butter is cold when you begin, and at all times when laminating the dough. Do not let it get melted at all, return to the refrigerator or freezer if it gets warm.

Nutrition