Flaky Sourdough Croissants Chocolate (Printable Version)

Buttery sourdough croissants with a crisp exterior and dark chocolate center, ideal for a special morning or snack.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Sourdough Croissant Dough

01 - 3.5 cups bread flour
02 - 0.5 cup active sourdough starter at 100% hydration
03 - 0.75 cup cold whole milk
04 - 0.25 cup granulated sugar
05 - 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
06 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
07 - 1 large egg for egg wash

→ Butter Layer

08 - 1.75 cups unsalted European-style butter, cold and cut into portions for laminating

→ Filling

09 - 4.25 ounces high-quality dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa, cut into 12 batons

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Combine flour, sourdough starter, cold milk, sugar, salt, and softened butter in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Mix until a rough dough forms. Knead for 4 to 5 minutes until smooth and slightly elastic. Cover and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
02 - Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Bulk ferment at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, performing stretch-and-fold techniques at 1-hour intervals. Refrigerate overnight for 8 to 12 hours.
03 - Place cold butter between two sheets of parchment paper. Pound and roll into an 8 by 8 inch square. Refrigerate until firm.
04 - On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12 by 12 inch square. Center the butter block and fold dough edges to fully encase it. Roll into a 24 by 8 inch rectangle. Fold into thirds, then chill for 30 minutes. Repeat rolling, folding, and chilling two additional times at 30-minute intervals.
05 - Roll laminated dough to a 24 by 12 inch rectangle approximately 0.16 inch thick. Cut into 12 long triangles with a 4 inch base. Position one chocolate baton at the wide end of each triangle and roll tightly toward the point. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets with tip side down.
06 - Cover loosely and proof at room temperature for 4 to 5 hours until doubled and very puffy. If your kitchen is cool, proof in a warm, draft-free location.
07 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk one egg with 1 tablespoon water and gently brush onto croissants. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until deep golden brown and crisp.
08 - Transfer croissants to a wire rack and cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • The sourdough starter adds an unexpected depth that makes these taste nothing like store-bought croissants.
  • Laminating the dough yourself feels like mastering a secret technique, and the payoff is those shatteringly crisp, impossibly tender layers.
  • Dark chocolate melting into warm croissant dough is the kind of breakfast that makes you slow down and actually enjoy your morning.
02 -
  • Temperature is everything—if your dough or butter gets too warm during lamination, the butter will smear into the dough instead of creating distinct layers, and you'll end up with a dense, greasy croissant instead of a flaky one.
  • Don't rush the chilling between folds; those 30-minute rests are when the magic happens, allowing the butter to firm back up and the gluten to relax so you can fold without tearing.
  • Sourdough starter needs time to develop its lift, so if your croissants didn't puff as much as you hoped, it's usually because your starter wasn't quite at peak activity or your final proof wasn't long enough.
03 -
  • Toast the finished croissants under the broiler for 30 seconds if they're a day old and starting to lose their crispness; it revives them brilliantly.
  • Add a tiny pinch of orange zest to the dough for a subtle flavor complexity that plays beautifully against the dark chocolate.
  • If you want to freeze these, you can freeze them after shaping but before the final proof—just add an extra 30 minutes to the proof time when you bake them from frozen.
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