Barcelona's pastry scene shows a clear preference for croissants, with local bakeries largely overlooking the pain au chocolat, a staple undergoing significant innovation in Paris.

In Paris, pastry chefs are redefining the classic chocolate croissant. On Avenue de l'Opéra, queues form daily outside Cedric Grolet's establishments. Here, pains au chocolat, croissants, and frozen fruits are displayed like jewels. Cedric Grolet's pain au chocolat, priced at seven euros, features an elongated, puffed shape and a fried dough, reminiscent of a Girona xuixo, a traditional Catalan fried pastry. It contains both a chocolate bar and liquid chocolate filling, making it a challenging treat to eat without mess.

Parisian Pastry Chefs Redefine Chocolate Croissants

Cedric Grolet is one of Paris's most adventurous pastry chefs for pains au chocolat. His croissants also stand out, painted with dark chocolate for a shiny, jewel-like appearance. Ritz Paris Le Comptoir offers another unique pain au chocolat, shaped like a thin churro, served in a long cardboard wrapper for easy consumption. This item costs five euros.

Traditional pains au chocolat in other Parisian bakeries typically cost between 1.50 euros and 2 euros. Croissants remain a more affordable option, priced from 1.20 euros to 1.80 euros. These pastries are breakfast staples in Parisian cafés. Notable traditional bakeries include Gosselin, The French Bastards, Maison Marques, and Maison Julien.

Even luxury hotels in Paris are embracing pain au chocolat innovation. At the Mandarin Oriental, master pastry chef Julien Dugourd's shop in the lobby offers a variety of pastries made with croissant dough. Alongside the traditional pain au chocolat, the Swiss brioche, a flattened pastry with chocolate chips and a thin layer of pastry cream, is very popular. An apple turnover, or chausson aux pommes, also uses croissant dough. A pain au chocolat at the Mandarin Oriental costs three euros, offering a substantial chocolate bar filling without being overly rich.

Barcelona Bakeries Prioritise Croissants

In contrast, Barcelona bakeries largely focus on croissants. Establishments like Natcha, Forn Mistral, Foix, and La Colmena confirm they do not make napolitanas, another term for pain au chocolat. Instead, they offer a wide array of croissants. Foix, for example, sells up to eight different types, including savoury options like sobrassada and cheese, sweet varieties, and those made with butter or lard.

Josep Maria Roig from La Colmena explained they stopped making napolitanas due to low sales. “When we did make them, they were not true napolitanas, as we used puff pastry, not croissant dough, and filled them with cream and angel hair,” Roig stated. Sacha bakery makes napolitanas only by special order. “Daily, we prepare up to nine different types of croissants, which are our bestsellers, so we only make napolitanas by order,” a representative said.

Brunells bakery does not make pains au chocolat but offers “coixinets” (cushions) made with croissant dough. These resemble Parisian Swiss brioches but are savoury, filled with ham and cheese or sobrassada and honey. This shows a local adaptation of the croissant dough concept.

Local Innovation Emerges in Barcelona

Despite the general trend, some Barcelona pastry chefs are innovating with pains au chocolat. At L'Atelier, French pastry chef Eric Ortuño and Ximena Pastor create two types of pain au chocolat, classic and innovative, priced at 3.30 euros. They use croissant dough with reverse lamination and cocoa lines, giving the pastry a marbled appearance. These have a puffed shape and a crisp, airy bite, with a balanced chocolate filling that is not liquid.

Toni Vera at Mervier Canal also makes pains au chocolat, selling them for 3.20 euros. “People buy more chocolate croissants from us, even though they are made with the same dough and filling,” Vera commented. He highlights their bicolor pain au chocolat, designed for visual appeal, and their new Swiss brioches, acknowledging the Parisian trend. Pastry chef Oriol Carrió offers his pain au chocolat with three chocolate bars for 2.50 euros. Matthieu Atzenhoffer at Morreig, an Alsatian pastry chef, prepares pain au chocolat for 2.80 euros with an interior chocolate coating. He believes classic bars contain more sugar than cocoa. “Ours are less sweet and more flavourful,” Atzenhoffer said.

Emili Feliu, owner of Forn Sant Josep, notes they sell up to 80% more lard croissants than butter croissants. Anna Bellsolà of Forns Baluard also makes pain au chocolat, priced at 2.45 euros. Christian Escribà, another renowned pastry chef, sells more of his croissants than his pain au chocolat, which costs 2.50 euros. However, Escribà has developed two popular croissant alternatives: the “cremadet” and the Breton kouign amann. Both use croissant dough, with the kouign amann featuring more butter than sugar, resulting in a crisp exterior and a croissant-like interior.

Croiss & Fest Returns to Poble Espanyol

Barcelona and Paris share a creative connection through croissant dough, inspiring various beloved pastries. This local passion for croissants will be celebrated at the Croiss & Fest, returning to Poble Espanyol from 1 to 3 May. The festival will gather Barcelona's pastry shops, showcasing a range of sweet and savoury croissants. Attendees can also vote for their favourite pastry, highlighting the ongoing appeal and innovation within the city's croissant scene.

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Originally published by Ara Cat. Read original article.