Serious question, I was at the new bakery on Elm Street and their croissants had a distinct, almost smoky flavor.

Has anyone else tried them and figured out what ingredient or technique they're using to get that unique taste?

3 comments

3 Comments

Is it possible they're just baking them next to the place that makes the really good barbecue? In my experience, a lot of those new ovens can pick up some wild flavors from the other shops in a shared building. Maybe their proofing cabinet has seen some things. I'd still eat it, a smoky croissant sounds kind of amazing, like a campfire breakfast.

nathan_webb2mo agoTop Commenter

Yeah, that's a solid point, @paul_morgan. I've had bagels that tasted like the dry cleaner next door. But a full-on smoky flavor in a croissant? That's a pretty strong transfer. Are we talking a hint of hickory or like they dunked the dough in liquid smoke? I wonder if they're actually using smoked butter or something in the layers, which would be a choice. Either way, I'd try it once just for the story.

sammurray9d agoMost Upvoted

What if the croissant itself isn't actually picking up the smoke flavor from the oven, but from the butter they're laminating it with? I've heard of some bakeries playing around with smoked butter, where they cold-smoke the butter before working it into the dough. That would give it a really deep, consistent smoke flavor all the way through, not just a surface thing from the oven. I bet that's what's happening, and honestly, it's kind of a genius move if you ask me. A savory, smoky croissant sounds way better than a sweet one if you're gonna have it with eggs or something.