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Chocolate Chip Vienna Baguettes

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Chocolate chip vienna baguettes (also called "pains viennois", or "viennoises aux pépites de chocolat") are an easy French breakfast treat.
  • Author: Delphine Fortin
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Rising Time: 1h30
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 1h50
  • Yield: 8 baguettes 1x
  • Category: Breads and brioches

Chocolate chip vienna baguette is a soft and sweet bread. With only 4 minutes kneading, this breakfast recipe is accessible to all levels – beginners included.

Ingredients

Scale
  • ⅓ cup + 1 Tablespoon (10 cl) whole milk
  • ⅓ cup + 1 Tablespoon (10 cl) whipping cream
  • 0.9 oz (25g) fresh yeast*
  • 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar + 1 teaspoon (to activate the yeast)
  • stick (75g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 3 ½ cups (475g) all-purpose flour**
  • ¾ cup (100g) chocolate chips, ideally mini chocolate chips
  • 1 yolk, to brush

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan, warm up the milk with the whipping cream up to 100°F (38°C). Be careful not to overheat the milk-cream mixture or it could kill the yeast.
  2. Crumble the fresh yeast* into a bowl, add one teaspoon of sugar, and whisk in the milk-cream mixture. Set aside to bloom until foamy and bubbling, about 5 to 10 minutes.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the melted butter with 3 Tablespoons of sugar. Add in the beaten egg, the milk-cream mixture with yeast, and mix well. Switch to the hook attachment, and pour the flour in two or three additions**, mixing well after each addition. Knead the dough until it becomes soft and elastic, about 4 minutes, then shape into a ball. Place it back into the bowl, cover with a towel and let rise at room temperature for about 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size.
  4. Add the (mini) chocolate chips into to the dough and knead for a few more minutes until evenly distributed. Using a dough cutter, divide the dough into 4 to 8 equal pieces. To form, flatten each piece of dough with your hand to remove any excess gas or bigger bubbles. Once flattened, fold from the top, along the longer edge in toward the middle, and gently, but firmly press down on the dough with the bottom of the palm of your hand all the way closing the seam. Turn, and do the same on the other side. Place seam side down and start to gently roll it from the center out to elongate the dough slightly. 
  5. Place the vienna baguettes on a baking tray covered with parchment paper, cover them with a cloth, and let rise for 30 more minutes in a warm place. 
  6. When vienna baguettes have risen, brush with the yolk and and score with kitchen shears, making several parallel diagonal cuts across the top of the dough.
  7. Preheat the oven to 480°F (250°C). Place in the middle rack and bake for about 8-10 minutes, until golden-brown. Let cool slightly (so you can handle them) or completely, and enjoy!

Notes

* You can replace fresh yeast 10g with active dry yeast or 9g instant yeast. The first one needs to be proofed in a liquid while the second one can be added directly to the dry ingredients. Yet I recommend proofing anyway, just to be on the safe side.

** Depending on the flour you use (in particular if you leave in Europe or in the US/Canada) you may need to adjust the quantity of flour. You will typically need more flour in Europe, while 2 ¾ cups to 3 cups (430-460g) flour should be enough in North America. 

Recipe by Del’s cooking twist | Photography by Athina Canevet Studio