Mini pain au chocolat

recipe

Mini pain au chocolat

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This is perfect mid-morning with a cup of coffee. Half pastry, half bread - it's deliciously flaky with a soft chocolate centre

Ingredients

275g (9oz) plain flour
1 Tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
30g (1oz) lard or white vegetable fat
1 tsp fast-acting dried yeast
150ml (5fl oz) whole milk, slightly warm
90g (3oz) piece unsalted butter
1 egg, beaten
12 small pieces (approx. 60g/2oz) plain chocolate
30g (1oz) icing sugar

Serves: 12

Directions

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Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and stir in the sugar and salt. Rub in the fat to form fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the yeast.
Make a well in the centre and pour in most of the milk. Mix with your fingers, then tip on to a lightly-floured work surface. Bring together and knead lightly until you have a dough slightly softer than a pastry mixture; add more milk if necessary. Lightly flour the bowl and place the dough back in it. Cover loosely and stand in a warm place for about an hour until doubled in size.
Gently re-knead the dough to form a smooth ball. Roll the dough out to form an oblong x cm ( x n) and place the piece of butter in the centre. Fold the dough over the butter, top and bottom, to cover it and press the edges to seal. Roll the dough out gently to form an oblong the same size as before. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up, and turn degrees.
Cover and rest for minutes. Repeat the rolling, folding and turning twice more. Transfer to a floured plate, cover and chill for minutes.
Roll out to x cm ( x n). Cut in two lengthways and then cut each piece into six oblongs to give pieces. Brush each with beaten egg and then place a piece of chocolate in the centre. On each piece fold the bottom third up and the top third down. Turn over and press down to seal the edges to enclose the chocolate.
Transfer to a large baking sheet and cover loosely with greased clear food wrap. Stand in a warm place for about minutes until slightly risen. Preheat the oven to //Gas mark
Brush with beaten egg and bake for about minutes until puffed up and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Best served warm, dusted with icing sugar.