This Brilliant Kit Helped Me Make My Favorite French Pastry Like a Pro
I’ve written not once that baking stresses me out, which is unfortunate because pastries are some of my favorite things to eat. Danishes, tarts, muffins — I don’t discriminate. But my favorite of them all is the French classic: croissants. And if they happen to have chocolate inside, I won’t complain. Until recently, I had never tried making pain au chocolat from scratch, but every time I’d buy one from my local coffee shop, I’d marvel at its thin layers, flaky yet buttery texture, and how it always managed to have just the right amount of chocolate. I wondered how it was possible to make something like that and figured the process must be quite intensive.
Although I normally shy away from such seemingly complicated endeavors, I opted to make my own pain au chocolat when I got to try FarmSteady’s baking kit. I’ll just tell you now — the baking process was indeed long, but the kit seriously simplified it. In fact, I’m quite proud of the way my pastries turned out, and I’d recommend the kit to both seasoned and amateur bakers as a result.
Pain au Chocolat Making Kit
Farm Steady
$35
Buy Now
What Is the Pain au Chocolat Making Kit?
If you’re expecting a package of frozen pastries that you merely pop in the oven when you order this kit, you’re in for a rude awakening. Instead, you should prepare yourself to basically make the chocolate croissants all on your own — with some guided help. The kit arrives in a small red box containing flour and yeast, a parchment forming envelope, 12 dark chocolate batons, and a card with the QR code for the baking instructions.
All of the ingredients stay fresh for up to 18 months, so there’s definitely no rush to use the kit right away. As a result, you can order it now and store it until you’re ready to bake with loved ones during the holidays. As for additional ingredients you’ll need, those are things you likely already have in your kitchen, such as butter and sugar. You’ll also need the usual baking tools, like a rolling bin, baking sheet, parchment paper, and mixing bowl.
Once I accessed the baking instructions on my phone, I got to work forming the butter into a big square inside the parchment envelope. Then, I let it chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes. That occurs multiple times in the process — you have to repeatedly chill parts of the recipe (namely the dough) for about half an hour each time. As a result, I recommend dedicating a full day to this process, ideally a day when you’re not working or otherwise busy. The kit has enough ingredients for six pain au chocolat, so in the end, you’ll have enough to enjoy one nearly every day of the week or to share with loved ones.
Why I Love the Pain au Chocolat Making Kit
Although the baking process was lengthy, the Pain au Chocolate Making Kit was not nearly as complicated as I expected. As an inexperienced baker, I found the steps easy to follow, and I was able to complete them all on my own. I ran into a few snags, like when I had to roll the dough out into a perfectly formed rectangle; my dough kept rolling into a rounded shape, and I had to repeatedly reform it into a four-sided shape with my hands. In the end, it still wasn’t perfect, so when I cut it into individual strips, they weren’t even, and this affected the final shape of the pastries. But they still came out tasting delicious and looking decent, so it wasn’t a big deal. If you have more baking experience than I do, I’m sure you’ll have no problems with any of the steps.
As I worked on the dough, my roommate would periodically pop out of her room to look in on my progress with anticipation. “Are the pastries ready to bake yet?” she kept asking. Finally, I was able to roll up the strips with two chocolate batons each and set them in the oven to bake for 30 minutes. By the time the rich, buttery smell of the pain au chocolat had filled the entire apartment, we were both teeming with excitement. Of the final result, I’d say the pain au chocolates weren’t quite as flaky as they’re supposed to be. The individual layers of dough turned out thicker than expected, but everything else was on point.
I’d recommend the pain au chocolat-making kit to almost anyone, regardless of whether you, too, are a novice at baking and want to expand your skills or whether you’re looking for a fun weekend activity to do with a friend. The kit would also make a wonderful gift for anyone who likes to experiment in the kitchen. Grab yours now, and while you’re at it, be sure to check out FarmSteady’s numerous other kits for baking, fermentation, and more.
Buy: Pain au Chocolat Making Kit, $35
