Vegan Pain au Chocolat (Chocolate Croissants)

Instructions

• In a small jug, combine yeast, water and sugar, stir lightly and leave to bubble for 15 minutes.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the dough attachment, combine flour, salt and sugar, and mix for 1 minute on a medium speed. 
• Slowly pour in yeast mixture, milk and water, alternating between each liquid. 
• On a medium speed, continue to beat mixture for 5 minutes. 
• Remove dough from the bowl, lightly grease it with olive oil spray, then place the dough back into the bowl. Cover it with two tea towels and place it in a warm place for 1 hour to rise. 
• Meanwhile, place butter between two pieces of baking paper, and using a rolling pin, roll out to be 20x20cm, and place in the fridge until your dough is ready to use. 
• When ready, remove dough from the bowl and place onto a well floured surface. Roll out to 40x20cm (approximately), trimming the edges so the dough is even. 
• Place butter into the middle of the pastry, and fold one side of the dough over the butter, to cover it completely. Place the other part of the dough over the top of that, to create a 20x20 square of dough, with no butter showing. Wrap the mixture in baking paper and place in the fridge to rest for 1 hour. 
• After 1 hour, remove dough from the fridge and place back onto the floured surface. Turn the dough 180 degrees from how you last folded it, and foll out the dough again to approximately 40x20cm. Repeat the above folding action and place back into the fridge to rest for another hour. 
• Repeat the above step one more time before placing the dough back into the fridge to rest for a final 1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out to its original size. Cut dough into 16 portions.
• Place chocolate into two lines on each piece of dough along the short side, and roll dough to enclose the chocolate and form a circular roll.
• Place pastries onto a baking tray, brush with melted butter and top with vanilla sugar. Place two tea towels over pastries and leave to rest for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to approximately 200 degrees Celsius and bake pastries for approximately 35 minutes. Don't worry if the butter melts a little, just be sure to preheat your oven so when the pastries go in the oven is nice and hot.
• Once the pasties are ready (they should be nice and brown on the outside and shouldn't collapse when pressed), remove them from the oven and sprinkle with some more vanilla sugar.
• Serve warm or at room temperature, and store in an airtight container.