Chocolate, Coconut, Pecan Braid

I've recently gotten into this French pastry show called Le Meilleur Patissier (The Best Baker) and I have been wanting to try some of the French classics that they contestants are challenged to make on the show. Through watching this show, I have learned how precise French baking is (nothing I already knew) and the history of some of the classics. Unfortunately, I don't have most of the fancy baking products that are needed for this classic pastries, so I settled for something from my Pintrest Board that I have been wanting to make for awhile: a Chocolate, Coconut, Pecan Braid.

I can't take credit for this recipe, so I am including the link to the full recipe here.

I will note some of the challenges I faced and my slight alternations for the future.

*The blogger says to roll the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper; however, I found that parts of the dough stuck to the paper and when I went to transfer the dough, I had to re-roll it out. Next time, I will just roll out the dough on a floured surface.

*Once the dough has been rolled out into the appropriate size, you are to divide it into three equal parts lengthwise. I found the I was unable to fill the braid because the sections were too small. Next time, am going to roll it out longer widthwise so that I can fill the inside more. I also found that the braid was too doughy. Hopefully, by making it larger widthwise, this will fix this problem too.

*Despite these challenges, it was still a great dessert and I will definitely make it again in the future!