CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS

Steps:

• Do ahead
• Prepare the laminated dough as directed on page 182, up to the point of shaping and baking. When you get to the final rolling, roll into a rectangle measuring about 32 inches wide by 7 inches high.
• Shaping and baking
• To make the filling, melt the butter in a saucepan, then turn the heat down as low as it will go, add the chocolate, and stir until the chocolate is melted. (You can also melt the chocolate and butter together using a double boiler or using a microwave in short bursts.) Pour the chocolate mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone mat and use a spatula to spread it into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Cool until the chocolate is solid; you can put it in the refrigerator to speed this up.
• Cut the rolled-out laminated dough into rectangles about 3 1/2 inches wide and 6 inches long (the 7-inch dough will shrink to 6 inches as you cut it). Use a metal pastry scraper or pizza cutter to cut the cooled chocolate into bars about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Lay one or two bars across the bottom of each piece of dough, then roll the croissants up into barrel shapes. Place the croissants on a parchment-lined sheet pan about 1 1/2 inches apart, seam side down. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and proof at room temperature for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. (If you don't want to bake all of the croissants at this time, place the extra croissants on a pan or in individual freezer bags and chill or freeze them.) The croissants will rise slowly and swell noticeably in size, but they won't double.
• About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Whisk the egg and water together, the gently brush the egg wash over the croissants.
• Place the croissants in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 375°F (191°C). Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until the croissants are a rich golden brown on all sides, without any white sections in the visible layers. If they seem to be baking unevenly or are getting too dark and have streaks of light sections, lower the oven temperature to 325°F (162°C) and extend the baking time as needed. The croissants should feel light when lifted and be flaky on the surface.
• Cool for at least 1 hour before serving. If you like, you can garnish the croissants after they have cooled with a light dusting of confectioners' sugar tapped through a fine-mesh sieve, or remelt any leftover chocolate filling and apply a squiggle of chocolate to the top.