Freshly baked Pain Suisse filled with vanilla pastry cream and dark chocolate

I discovered Pain Suisse while looking for new ideas for sweet yeasted dough recipes. I wanted to try something a little different from my classic cinnamon rolls, and as soon as I saw that these had chocolate in them too, I knew I had to make them. 😁

I honestly don’t know how they escaped my attention for so long, because they have pretty much everything I love: fluffy dough, vanilla pastry cream and plenty of chocolate.

If you’ve never heard of Pain Suisse before, they’re a classic French pastry that I can best describe as a sort of sweet sandwich: the “bread” is a soft, brioche-like dough, while the filling is a smooth vanilla pastry cream and chocolate.

What’s not to love? 😁

A little warning before you start: this isn’t the kind of recipe you make when you’re craving something sweet “in half an hour.” 😅 The dough needs time to rise, the pastry cream needs to cool, and once the pastries are shaped, they need a second proof. But the final result is absolutely worth the wait.

Tips for Perfect Pain Suisse

The dough will be quite soft and slightly sticky at first, so I don’t recommend adding too much extra flour. After kneading and proofing, it becomes much easier to handle.

The vanilla pastry cream needs to be completely cool before assembling the pastries. If it’s still warm, it will soften the dough and make cutting and shaping much more difficult.

For the chocolate, you can use either chocolate chips or a chopped chocolate bar. I used dark chocolate chips because I love the contrast between the sweet vanilla pastry cream and the slightly bitter dark chocolate. And because chocolate addict, obviously. 😁

Once the pastry cream and chocolate have been spread over half of the dough, fold the uncovered half over the filling and press down very gently. Don’t try to force the two layers together, unless your goal is to have pastry cream escaping from every possible side. 😂

When it comes to shaping and portioning, there’s plenty of room to customise your Pain Suisse. You can roll the dough into a longer, narrower rectangle and cut it into smaller, almost square pastries, or you can make them longer and narrower, as I did.

I went with the second option and divided the dough into 8 large Pain Suisse, but the final number of pastries will depend on the size and shape of your rolled-out dough.

And the final step, which I definitely don’t recommend skipping, is the sugar syrup glaze. It’s brushed onto the Pain Suisse as soon as they come out of the oven, while they’re still hot, and it’s what gives them that beautiful glossy finish you can see in the photos.

There’s no need to soak them in syrup 😁 — a thin layer is all you need.

Rolled Pain Suisse dough topped on one half with vanilla pastry cream and dark chocolate chips

Shaped Pain Suisse arranged on a baking tray before the second proof

How to Store Pain Suisse

Pain Suisse are best eaten on the day they’re baked, especially while they’re still slightly warm and the chocolate is soft.

However, because they’re filled with vanilla pastry cream, if you’re not eating them the same day, I recommend storing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

They’ll keep well in the fridge for 2–3 days. Before serving, you can warm them for a few minutes in the oven or air fryer. The dough will soften again and the chocolate will become slightly melty. 😁

Freshly baked golden Pain Suisse filled with vanilla pastry cream and dark chocolate

Pain Suisse FAQs

What is Pain Suisse?

Pain Suisse is a French pastry made with a rich, buttery yeasted dough filled with vanilla pastry cream and chocolate.

I described it above as a sort of sweet sandwich, and I still think that’s the easiest way to explain it. 😁

Can I make the vanilla pastry cream ahead of time?

Yes. In fact, it’s a great way to split the recipe into two stages.

The pastry cream can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator with plastic wrap pressed directly onto its surface. Before using it, give it a quick whisk to make it smooth and creamy again.

Can I use chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips?

Absolutely. You can use a bar of chocolate chopped into small pieces instead of chocolate chips.

I used dark chocolate chips, but they’re not essential. I would still recommend using dark chocolate or chocolate with a higher cocoa percentage, as the slight bitterness balances the sweetness of the vanilla pastry cream really well.

Why is my Pain Suisse dough so sticky?

This is an enriched dough made with milk, egg and butter, so it’s naturally softer and stickier than a basic bread dough.

Don’t keep adding flour until the dough no longer sticks to your hands at all, as this can make your Pain Suisse denser.

After kneading and proofing, the dough will become much easier to handle.

Why does the pastry cream leak out?

Because that’s what it wants to do. 😂

Joking aside, it’s perfectly normal for a little pastry cream to escape around the edges, both while shaping the pastries and during baking.

The important thing is to make sure the pastry cream is completely cold before assembling the Pain Suisse and not to press down too firmly after folding the dough over the filling.

More Sweet and Savoury Yeast Recipes

If you enjoy working with yeasted dough and have the patience to let it rise at its own pace 😁, here are a few more recipes from the blog worth trying:

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls – a cosy autumn version with pumpkin in both the dough and the filling, plus the option of a slow overnight rise in the fridge.

Chocolate and Brandy Cozonac – if all that chocolate is what convinced you to make these Pain Suisse 😁, this one features a fluffy enriched dough filled with chocolate, pistachios and brandy.

Bavarian Pretzels with Salt – if you’re in the mood for something savory instead, these are crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy inside, and surprisingly easy to make at home.