Easy Croissant Hack You’ll Think You’re in France

Some people are francophiles but I however, am I croissantophile. Yes, a croissantophile. I wasn’t always the biggest fan of croissants, because I’d never had a real one. I had always had big box store croissants and I just didn’t like them. One day I went to Born and Bread Bakehouse in Lakeland, Florida and after waiting in line for 1.5 hours and to my delight, I realized that I loved everything croissant. Not an “everything” croissant, but everything that has to do with croissants. Then I went to Buttermilk Bakery in Winter Park, Florida, then Pitchoun! in Los Angeles, then La Boulangerie in New Orleans, then Röckenwagner Bakery also in LA.

I have a trail leading from one place to the next of places that I adore, because they know exactly how to combine flour with lots and lots of butter to create a perfectly, perfect croissant. While I have a growing list of places to buy lovely croissants, I also keep a list of the places to avoid. I have tried my hand at making croissants, but it’s a labored process and I am not willing to perfect the process. You would think that living so close to New Orleans that les boulangeries would abound, but alas they do not. 

I don’t like to pine for things, I like to make things happen. It kind of goes along the lines of my favorite line from Rich Dad, Poor Dad: “I forbid myself from saying, “I can’t afford it.” I have disciplined myself to ask instead, “How can I afford it?” Ever since I read that line, it has been my mantra. This is also the same thing as “never say: never”. So, I headed to the big box store and bought a giant box of soft and limp croissants for $6.

I came home and preheated the oven to 400F. Lined a pan with parchment (absolutely do NOT skip this step). Cracked an egg and washed each croissant in the egg white. I popped the croissants in the oven (I warmed mine for 9 minutes, keep a close eye on yours so they don’t burn). When I pulled the croissants out of the oven, they were beautifully browned, they were crisp and holy moly, the taste was completely different from when they were soft in their clear plastic clamshell box. While a soft croissant does lend well to a chicken salad sandwich, crisping up your croissants makes them more luxurious and makes you feel almost like you’re enjoying breakfast in the south of France. Add a little luxury to your life and go crisp up a box of croissants!