December Staff Favourite

This months bake favourite comes from head baker Craig:

Pain Suisse

Pain Suisse, which translates to ‘Swiss Bread’ is a French pastry that originated in the 19th Century. It is part of the Viennoiserie category of baked goods! Viennoiserie are French baked goods made from a yeast-leavened dough in a manner similar to bread, or from puff pastry, but with added ingredients (particularly eggs, butter, milk, cream and sugar), which give them a richer, sweeter character that approaches that of pastry. The dough is often laminated. It is traditionally made with brioche, but more recently bakers have begun creating it with croissant dough using cross lamination techniques. When a block of croissant dough is laminated you see many tiny layers from the side. To create the lines effect on the top of the pastry, our baker Craig cuts it into thin strips and turns them so the layers face upwards. Placed on top of the chocolate filling, the lines then appear on the top creating the lovely pattern we see! 

Craig: “I like baking this pastry because it’s unique from everything else we make. The technique is so different from the others, so it adds a different element to my regular baking day. It also goes down fabulously with customers which I always appreciate.”

This pastry is bound to crop up in the next winter months ahead, so keep your eyes peeled and taste buds ready for the next appearance of this mouth watering danish!