1-First Step: Mise en place. Measure all ingredients accurately. Combine 500 g flour, 10 g salt, 50 g sugar, and 10 g yeast in a large bowl. Add 250 ml cold water and 50 g softened butter. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth. This builds the base for your croissant recipe.

2-Second Step: Rest the dough. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Cold dough handles butter better later. Meanwhile, prepare the 250 g cold butter slab by placing it between parchment sheets and pounding flat to a 15×20 cm rectangle, about 1 cm thick. Keep chilled.

3-Third Step: First fold. Roll rested dough on a floured surface to 30×40 cm. Place butter slab in center. Fold dough edges over like a letter, sealing completely. This encloses the butter for layering.

4-Fourth Step: Turn and roll. Rotate dough 90 degrees. Roll gently to 30×40 cm again, keeping even pressure to avoid tearing butter. Fold into thirds. Wrap and chill 30 minutes. Repeat this double turn twice more, chilling 30 minutes between each. Total three turns create 27 layers. Chill dough overnight for best results in authentic chocolate croissants at home.

5-Fifth Step: Roll and cut. On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough to 4 mm thick, about 60×30 cm rectangle. Trim edges straight. Cut into 12 rectangles, each 10×12 cm. Place 10 g 70% dark chocolate baton at one short end of each.

6-Sixth Step: Roll tightly. Starting from chocolate end, roll each rectangle snugly around the baton, sealing seam underneath. Place on a parchment-lined tray, seam down. Cover loosely and proof in a warm spot (24-26°C) for 2 hours until puffy and jiggly. Do not rush this for flaky homemade croissants.

7-Seventh Step: Egg wash. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Whisk 1 egg with a splash of water. Gently brush tops of proofed pain au chocolat, avoiding sides to prevent sticking.

8-Final Step: Bake and cool. Bake 15-18 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Rotate tray halfway for even color. Cool on rack 10 minutes. Chocolate will set slightly for perfect bite. Yields 12. Total time: 4 hours active plus overnight chill. For beginners, shortcut with store-bought puff pastry: roll, fill, proof, bake same way. Learn more from this easy chocolate croissants recipe.