Pain Suisse au Chocolat et Advocaat
French Exchange, age 16. We ate these at breaktime in a school in Bordeaux. Well, sans the Advocaat; serving alcohol at school would have probably been a bit too liberal even for the French (though, when I taught in France several years later, we definitely celebrated Beaujolais Nouveau (the day in November marking the last day of the wine harvest) with un verre de vin at school.
I've added the Advocaat for a seasonal, Easter twist. It's mixed into the creme patissiere, which is studded with chocolate and sandwiched between layers of light, sweet dough.
Serve them for breakfast or a mid-morning treat. The smell from your oven will transport you instantly to a French bakery, je vous jure.
Makes 8
Ingredients
For the bread
Equipment
Method
1. Mix the milk with the yeast. In a large bowl, mix the flour and sugar.
French Exchange, age 16. We ate these at breaktime in a school in Bordeaux. Well, sans the Advocaat; serving alcohol at school would have probably been a bit too liberal even for the French (though, when I taught in France several years later, we definitely celebrated Beaujolais Nouveau (the day in November marking the last day of the wine harvest) with un verre de vin at school.
I've added the Advocaat for a seasonal, Easter twist. It's mixed into the creme patissiere, which is studded with chocolate and sandwiched between layers of light, sweet dough.
Serve them for breakfast or a mid-morning treat. The smell from your oven will transport you instantly to a French bakery, je vous jure.
Makes 8
Ingredients
For the bread
- 100ml lukewarm milk
- 7g sachet instant dried yeast
- 250g strong bread flour (and a little extra for dusting the work surface)
- 40g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 50g butter
- 2 egg yolks
- 30g caster sugar
- 12g plain flour
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 140ml milk
- 2 tbsp Advocaat
- 100g dark chocolate chips
- 1 egg yolk, beaten (for brushing)
Equipment
- Two baking trays, lined with baking parchment
- Rolling pin
Method
1. Mix the milk with the yeast. In a large bowl, mix the flour and sugar.
2. Add the egg and butter, and then pour over the yeast-milk mixture. Mix using a wooden spoon until it forms a dough. Cover the dough with a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, make the creme patissiere. Using an electric hand whisk, beat the egg yolks and sugar together, then add 1 tablespoon of Advocaat and whisk again. Beat in the flour.
4. Heat the milk in a saucepan until it's just started to boil. Pour the milk over the mixture and beat rapidly, then immediately pour the mixture into the saucepan and bring to the boil, mixing constantly with a wooden spoon. It will thicken within a minute or two. Remove from the heat and put into a bowl, covered with clingfilm. When it's cooled, beat through another tablespoon of Advocaat.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle, roughly 30cm x 40cm, about half a centimeter thick.
6. Spread the bottom half of the rectangle with the creme patissiere, and then sprinkle over the chocolate chips. Fold the top half down and gently roll the rolling pin over the dough to level it. Cut into 8 pieces, and place on the lined baking tray. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for 1 and a half hours. Towards the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 180°C (fan), 200°C (non fan).
7. Brush the beaten egg yolk over each piece, trying to prevent the yolk from running down the sides.
8. Bake for 14-15 minutes until golden brown.