There’s a strong case to be made for the inherent malleability and worldwide adaptability of the croissant. The various permutations and oftentimes bizarre combinations applied to the flaky, laminated, buttery goodness of the French viennoiserie (baked goods) pastry have bestowed upon the croissant the undisputed title of the ‘culinary chameleon’.
The puff pastry itself is inspired by the shape of the Austrian kipferl. Getting its name from the French word for crescent, thanks to its shape, the croissant is made using the French yeast-leavened laminated dough technique. This is achieved by layering the dough with butter, which is then rolled and folded several times in succession. This results in a light-as-air, flaky pastry, making it the much-loved, de facto breakfast staple-turned-all-day-favourite the world over.
Indian Assent
Over the last few decades, India, too, has taken a shine to this pastry, often adapting it to suit desi tastes and preferences. There’s probably not a single bakery or patisserie that doesn’t offer a range of croissant varieties. Even large supermarkets and neighbourhood stores stock them today. So, what is it about the croissant that makes it such a firm favourite?
For Chef Avin Thaliath, co-founder and director of Lavonne Academy of Baking Science and Pastry Arts, Bengaluru, it is all about the texture. “The crispness and flakiness of the croissant is something Indians can associate with. It is a perfect snack that Indian curries could be paired with,” believes Thaliath, who has done his fair share of experimentation with the pastry. He came up with iterations like the croissant-pizza ‘croizza’ and the date and caramel ‘croibka’ (croissant and Jewish babka bread). “The texture makes it an ideal base for experimentation. As consumers seek out new and exciting food trends, pastry chefs and bakers continue to innovate with the classic croissant, resulting in new and exciting variations,” he adds.
For Shweta Mutreja Aggarwal, founder of online baked goods store Kookie Cake Crumble in Mumbai, it was the pandemic that had a large part to play in the ‘croissant renaissance’. “Earlier, even professional bakers would get the frozen croissants, thaw and bake them. Fortunately, during the pandemic, these couldn’t get imported that easily. Thus, necessitating iterations like the rainbow croissant that I make,” says Aggarwal. She’s referring to the multi-hued ones where bakers colour the top layer of the dough by placing an extra sheet that could include natural or artificial colouring to create an ombre effect.
Adaptations Aplenty
Clearly not content with a mere buttery crescent-shaped croissant, one is constantly on the lookout for the next best hybrid.
It all started exactly a decade ago, when the ‘cronut’ was invented by New York-based pastry chef Dominique Ansel. He did this by melding the quintessential French croissant with the all-American donut. Others tried to sponge off this same combination by coming up with iterations such as the ‘dossant’. But by then, the OG cronut had taken firm place in the culinary lexicon.
The same year, probably inspired by the cronut, the ‘cruffin’ came into existence. This stuffed croissant in the shape of a muffin was introduced to the world by the Lune Croissanterie in Melbourne, Australia.
“The innovations we see these days are made possible by the versatile nature of croissant dough that lets it adapt into any shape and size,” says Saurabh Singh, corporate chef at the Seventh Sense restaurant at Seven Seas Hotel, Delhi. For his part, Singh has attempted hybrids such as the sweet morello cherry with toasted almond cream cronut and a savoury rosemary and dill croffle. The latter being a croissant and waffle combination that originated in South Korea. “The fact that these mutations combine croissants with other fun items such as a donut and a waffle makes them catchy, trendy and Instagram-worthy,” says Singh.
Social Media Sensations
Over the years, social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have exacerbated the iteration boom. Take, for instance, the suprême croissant that was born at the Lafayette Grand Café and Bakery in New York City. This one is a spiral shaped, glaze-coated pastry made in the same way a croissant is, only here one finds a stuffing that could be either sweet or savoury.
Cottoning onto the suprême croissant is Mumbai’s Blue Bop Bakes by The Blue Bop Café that has them on the menu in flavours such as tiramisu, chocolate, biscoff and red velvet. “I believe the coiled suprême is the next cronut. Their shaping and baking is done from scratch and with a lot of care,” says Sagar Phansekar, the cafe’s executive sous chef.
The latest croissant salvo, however, has come in the form of the ‘crube’ invented earlier this year at Mayfair, London’s Le Deli Robuchon. This one is a perfectly square-shaped croissant cube that
comes stuffed with sweet fillings like chocolate, vanilla and matcha green tea. It joins the ranks of other specimens in the works like the crogel (croissant-bagel), crozel (with pretzel), crotilla (a tortilla version), tacro (croissant-taco) and the most bizarre one being the croissushi. Yes, a croissant-sushi is
what this one is. Thus in turn, ensuring that we never run out of newer, wackier hybrids.