Food - Drink
The Type Of Chocolate Traditional Pain Au Chocolat Uses
By HALDAN KIRSCH
Pain au chocolat is the perfect recipe for bakers who have mastered the flaky layers in a classic croissant, and eaters who just have a sweet tooth can order this French treat at a local cafe. This "chocolate bread" is obviously nothing without the chocolate, so one must choose the right chocolate to wrap up in the flaky pastry shell.
King Arthur Baking says that the traditional chocolate for pain au chocolate is a semi-sweet chocolate baton. The semi-sweet flavor has the right amount of sweetness, but the depth from the more bitter notes offsets the pastry's inherent richness, and the thin baton or stick shape is easy to roll into the center of the dough.
Chocolate batons are available online through stores like Pastry Chef Central. However, New York Times Cooking points out that you can simply cut your preferred semi-sweet chocolate into thin sticks, making it easier to customize the amount of filling in your pain au chocolat for the right balance between the center and the crust.