I could listen to the hosts of the Great British Bake Off say the word âlayersâ on loop every night to go to sleep. The way their British accents kind of coo the word as they bite into a buttery pastry is Xanax in audio-visual format.
Iâd like to think Paul Hollywood would give his famous handshake to Twisted Croissant owner Kurt Goddard and his teamâs outrageously tasty croissants, stuffed with fillings from chocolate ganache to cornbread with pancetta and green chilis. For now, theyâll have to settle for a really good review from me.
Twisted Croissant is nailing the lamination gameâthe process of layering butter with thin sheets of doughâcreating a flaky and not too crumbly croissant that melts as you chew. For that reason, you could stop with the plain butter croissant and go home happy... but youâre here to explore.
My absolute favorite is the pain au chocolat, swirled with a pinwheel of chocolate dough and filled with a ganache thatâs creamy without being overly sweet. The sleeper hit of the array is the Seeded Everything croissant. With its wholegrain flour and simple topping, it doesnât stand out next to the flashier offeringsâuntil you bite in. Itâs hearty, with a whipped herb cream cheese and texturally balanced with pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, poppy, and caraway seeds.
Of course get the cruffinâa croissant-muffin hybrid dressed in rose glazeâthat when torn apart reveals a filling of vanilla pastry cream and a red heart of raspberry sauce. Thereâs a croissant donut (donât you DARE call it a Cronutâitâs trademarked by the NYC inventor), and a caramel apple cruff puff.
However, I prefer the classics: The Monte Carlo is the twist your morningâs ham and cheese never knew it needed, with the addition of salty gruyere and topped with bacon crumbles and a smoky maple drizzle. Prices range from $3.75 for a plain croissant to $6.25 for the meatier offerings, but youâre signing up for a breakfast-sized portion, not a snack.
My only knock on the menu? A seasonal pumpkin cheesecake croissant didnât have quite enough pumpkin flavor. Oh noes and oh well.
Goddard, a Michigan native who worked across the country as a pastry chef, says he fell in love with the process and discipline of getting a croissant just right and threw himself into the art of pastry perfection. Twisted Croissant built a following at the Beaverton, Hillsdale, Montavilla, and Hillsboro farmers markets over the last two years, but Goddard said the goal was always a stand-alone shop.
Twisted Croissant opened in September on Northeast Broadway in a former bead shop, and lines have been out the door during a rush. Iâd say go early, especially on weekends, to secure an ample selection of cruffins and a good latte.