In 2013, Kate Reid of Lune Croissanterie in Melbourne, Australia invented something special.
She created a hybrid between a croissant and a muffin that got the aptly named Cruffin.
A year later, the small pastry began its journey towards world fame when Ry Stephen and Aaron Caddel of Mr. Holmes Bakehouse of San Francisco started marketing it.
Today you find it everywhere in endless different versions.
I have to admit that I have long been a little hesitant about Cruffins.
I mean, a croissant and a muffin. There are not very many similarities, except that they both contain flour and butter.
One is crispy and delicate and is eaten for breakfast, especially in France, while the other is compact.
As I saw it, one of them had to sacrifice its uniqueness, and I felt it was the croissant that was the loser.
Nobody likes a semi-compact croissant, I said to myself.
However, there are lots of people who believe that Cruffins is the best that has been invented since puff pastry, so I realized that my reasoning perhaps fell short.
There was only one way to find out, so last weekend I baked some Cruffins.
With sourdough starter.
Using a sourdough starter was not my idea. I was inspired by Sylvain Vernay at The Bread Logic.
To make it a bit unique, I added some cacao powder to the butter filling.
A few tips before you start.
- A pasta machine is not a must. If you don’t have one, an ordinary rolling pin works fine.
- If the dough feels sticky, don’t be afraid to work in some more flour. Running a sticky and loose dough through a pasta machine is a nightmare.
- Don’t forget that this is NOT a recipe for a croissant. Just so you remember.
PREPARATIONS
Make sure your starter is lively and mature. I fed mine three hours before it was time to bake.
Cut the butter into thin slices with a cheese slicer. That will make it soft in no time.
MIXING THE DOUGH
Most recipes recommend that you should mix the dough in a dough mixer to get the butter fully incorporated. My dough mixer doesn’t work so well with small quantities like this, so I decided to do it by hand.
And it worked just fine.
The thin and soft butter slices made it easy to combine it with the flour.
After that, I added water, sourdough starter, sugar, and salt.
I kneaded everything into a stiff dough and let it ferment for one hour in room temperature, about 73ºF / 23ºC.
ROLL OUT THE DOUGH
I used a pasta machine for this, but it works with a rolling pin as well.
How thick you want the dough is up to you to decide. Just remember that the thinner the dough is, the harder it is to handle.
Flour the working space regularly to prevent the dough from sticking.
ROLL UP THE DOUGH
Spread the rest of the butter with sugar and Cacao powder, and spread the batter evenly over the dough and roll it from one end to the other to a cigar-formed log.
Cut the log lengthwise with a floured knife, and fold each piece of dough together with the cut side facing outward.
Place the pieces of dough in a muffin cup or pan and let them ferment for about 3 hours.
TIME TO BAKE
Preheat the oven to 400ºF / 200ºC.
Bake the Cruffins for 20 minutes, or until they have got a nice golden color.
You can eat these Cruffins as they are. I think cacao butter is enough for filling. But if you want something extra, why not add some vanilla custard. Everything that tastes good with chocolate works fine. This was my first meeting with Cruffins, and it was a very pleasurable acquaintance, even if I think that most similarities with a croissant were lost.
But I suspect it may depend on my approach to the mixing of the dough. Perhaps it is necessary to laminate at least some of the butter into the dough to get the right flakiness. This method, however, is quicker and easier, and the result is a delicious little creation, that will cause you to regret that you did not make a bigger batch.
A chocolate filled Cruffin made a quick way, with a pasta machine or a rolling pin.
Ingredients
Cruffin dough
- 150 gram bread flour
- 80 gram all purpose flour
- 90 gram water
- 70 gram sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 20 gram suger
- 30 gram butter
- 4 gram salt
Filling
- 150 gram butter
- 20 gram cacao powder
- 15 gram sugar
Instructions
Mix softened butter with flour and add water, starter, sugar, and salt, and knead it into a stiff dough.
Wrap the dough in cling-film and let it rest for an hour in room temperature.
Divide the dough in 4 equal pieces and flatten them to athickness of about 1/3" / 1 cm.
Run each piece of dough through the pasta machine at its thickest setting. Repeat and roll the doug thinner and thinner by decreasing the setting of the pastat machine.Or use a rollign pin and roll the dough to desired thickness.
Mix softened butter with cacao powder and sugar. Spread the the mixture on the dough.
Roll it from one end to the other to a cigar-formed log. Cut the log lengthwise with a floured knife, and fold each piece of dough together with the cut side facing outward.
Place the pieces of dough in a muffin cup or pan and let them ferment for about 3 hours, covered loosely with cling film.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF / 200ºC.Bake the Cruffins for 20 minutes, or until they have got a nice golden color.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
FAQs
Does olive oil make dough softer? Yes - adding olive oil to sourdough bread will result in a softer crust and crumb. The oil as a lipid coats the flour and inhibits the gluten network resulting in a softer, tighter crumb and softer crust. This can be a desirable outcome if you do not like tough, chewy sourdough crusts.
What's the difference between croissants and sourdough croissants? ›
Result: flavour – MUCH stronger than a normal croissant; texture – surprisingly light (for sourdough) and rather nice in it's “less than I expect” lightness; look – smaller, less “fluffy” and maybe – maybe – as they “used to be” before yeast. Want to learn more about sourdough – and learn to bake your own?
Are sourdough croissants healthier? ›
Are sourdough croissants healthier? Sure. The wild yeasts in the sourdough starter help ferment the grains and break down the gluten, making them easiest to digest. They also help break down the anti-nutrients present in the grains, making the vitamins and minerals present in the grains easier for your body to absorb.
What happens if I add honey to sourdough bread? ›
You'll find I use honey in many of my recipes. I love to use it in my no-knead 100% whole wheat sourdough bread because it makes it much softer and less dense than it would be without it. Subbing it in recipes that call for sugar is not usually as simple as a one-to-one sub, though.
Do Italians put olive oil on their bread? ›
Although you might be used to a pre-dinner snack of bread, olive oil and balsamic vinegar at home or in your local Italian restaurant, it's not actually an Italian tradition. In Italy, bread is typically eaten with other food (although not with other starchy foods like pasta, rice or polenta).
What is a Danish vs croissant? ›
Croissants and Danish pastries are both multilayered and laminated. Like brioche, Danish pastries contain eggs, which is one of the main differences between these pastries and croissants. Danish pastries contain eggs because the dough needs to be sturdier in order to add fillings.
Can I substitute puff pastry for croissant dough? ›
While these two pastries use similar ingredients and preparation methods, neither one can be a substitute dough for the other. Cross switching croissant and puff pastry doughs can be compared to using pie dough to make cookies.
Can I freeze sourdough croissants? ›
For Longer Storage: Freeze immediately in a sealed plastic bag - good for 60 days. To heat, preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 350°F. Bake for 15-18 minutes, a couple minutes more for chocolate (no need to defrost). Serve very warm.
Is it okay to eat sourdough bread every day? ›
Is it healthy to eat sourdough everyday? You could eat sourdough every day, but it isn't necessarily healthy to do so. A healthy diet is characterized by balance and moderation. Whether or not it is healthy for you to consume sourdough every day depends on the rest of your diet.
What cheese goes well with sourdough bread? ›
Best cheeses for a sourdough grilled cheese sandwich
I love the combination of cheddar, gruyere, Havarti, and parmesan here. It gives the grilled cheese a slightly elevated and gourmet feel. Some other great cheese options would be mozzarella, brie, gouda, pepper jack, Monterey jack cheese, or American cheese.
No, it's not advisable to eat raw sourdough starter. While some people claim to have healed their gut problems by eating probiotic rich sourdough starter, it's not really advisable. Raw sourdough starter contains uncooked flour which can harbor harmful bacteria among other things.
Why is sourdough bread not fattening? ›
Sourdough bread's fiber, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium content all support a heart-healthy diet. The soluble fiber found in sourdough bread binds to dietary cholesterol in the small intestine, helping pass this fat through the system instead of absorbing it.
Is sourdough good for constipation? ›
Real sourdough will always be easier on digestion than mass produced bread. The lactic acid bacteria and the long fermentation process in sourdough modifies the structure of gluten proteins, gliadin and glutenin, present in wheat flour, making it more digestible.
Is sourdough bread inflammatory? ›
The best bread to reduce gut inflammation is bread made from whole grains. Refined grains, such as the grains found in white bread and white pasta, are known to increase inflammation across the whole body. Sourdough bread and rye bread are both good options for an anti-inflammatory diet.
What does olive oil do to dough? ›
The goal of adding oil to pizza dough is to improve the texture of the dough and flavor the finished crust. The oil will specifically: Making the dough softer will improve its capacity to stretch when rolled out. If you don't use any oil, the dough will pull apart and produce holes.
What does adding more oil to bread dough do? ›
Fats work as tenderizers in breads by coating some of the proteins that form gluten, preventing them from hydrating and linking up to form large networks that would lead to toughness.
What are the benefits of olive oil and bread? ›
Olive oil is rich in unsaturated fatty acids. These types of fats regulate cholesterol levels and positively affect heart health. Breads containing olive oil may improve overall cardiovascular health by supporting healthy fat intake.
Is sourdough bread dipped in olive oil healthy? ›
Sourdough, Olive Oil, and Mediterranean Diet
The olive oil -a traditional staple of the Mediterranean diet and one of its most delicious, as well as health-promoting components- boosts flavor, adds moisture and volume to the bread.
