M. CHANNELS

Updated Tuesday, January 30, 2024-02:37

The

master pastry chef Miguel Moreno

is one of the people who knows the most about croissants in Spain. Because it is his favorite bun to consume, because he has been making them practically all his life, because he has eaten "thousands" as a member of the jury of the contest for the Best Artisanal Butter Croissant in Spain that is held every year and because he has tried all the ones that have been put in his path on the trips he has made around the world. "I think I know a lot, but there are people who know more," he says with a smile.

For a few months now, he has been making them daily and in his own style in his own

Pan y Cacao

workshop (Clara del Rey, 51), an artisanal bread and pastry workshop with space for tasting that opened last fall after separating from Pastelería Mallorca, where He has developed practically his entire professional career (he is part of the third generation of the founding family of the Madrid pastry group). About

300 croissants

come out of the bakery in the store every day

, and he sells them all.

"The main thing is that I make them

on site

and that I bake them four, five times a day starting from raw dough; I don't do pre-baked, frozen or other atypical processes, just the usual thing: we roll them, we ferment them , we paint them with egg and bake them," the pastry chef tells us how he makes his star product, a process that, in reality, lasts three days due to the complexity of the two doughs he has, the yeast and the laminate. "It's actually the most complicated bun to make, but every pastry shop worth its salt should have a good croissant."

Miguel Moreno in his workshop.

At a price of 1.80 euros per unit, the classic butter one is Pan y Cacao's

bestseller

(and the one that comes out of the oven in the greatest number), followed by the chocolate one and the fillings. Moreno has created up to eight innovative and original varieties of this bun that changes according to the season, such as the almond one based on marzipan, the Jijona and orange one, the one with mascarpone cheese covered in a red fruit glaze, or the pistachio one, filled and topped with a pistachio praline with pastry cream (2.50 euros).

What is it about this bun that is so seductive?

"A croissant without more is exceptional. I think there are certain products that a pastry shop must have, and one of them is this, it is the most important," says Moreno. "In fact, everyone now sees it as necessary

to make a good croissant to succeed

."

According to the pastry chef, since the Best Artisanal Butter Croissant in Spain

competition is held every year in Barcelona

, ​​which is now in its sixteenth edition, the quality of the croissants has increased drastically. "If at the beginning there were three good croissants and 40 bad ones, this year, when 90 contestants have entered, there have been 70 exceptional buns."

And, finally, pastry chefs have realized that the croissant is the basis for attracting their customers to their stores, according to this expert. January 30 is

International Croissant Day

, so, in addition to the one mentioned above, we propose

some Madrid bakeries

to pay tribute to this exquisite bun.

The Duchess

In the chosen Best Pastry Shop in Madrid 2023, a good croissant cannot be missing. The wide range of these buns made by

Oriol Balaguer

includes the classic one, the giunduja one, the almond one, the 70% dark chocolate one filled with chocolate cream, the one with toasted cream, mascarpone and raspberry compote or the pistachio one, among others.

Price

: from 2.20 euros.

Where

: Fernando VI, 2.

Vanille Bakery Lab

Baileys Croissant from Vanille Bakery Lab.

To celebrate International Croissant Day, this artisan bakery launches with Marcos Costa Vaz, its pastry chef, a series of these buns that will be sold along with its traditional

Parisiene

croissant made of 84% extra dry French butter, without additives. The first is the

Baileys croissant

, in which the liquidity of the baileys is transformed into an exquisite gel-cream that includes alcohol, so its consumption is not suitable for those under 18 years of age; the second, the cheesecake croissant, filled with cream cheese and berry coulis and covered with a raspberry glaze.

Price

: from 2.10 euros.

Where

: Santa Engracia, 143 and Donoso Cortés, 8.

Chocolate Moulin

The exclusive pastry shop of Madrid-born Ricardo Vélez,

specialized in French pastries

, boasts of having the best sweet croissants in its display cases, prepared daily in its bakery in a traditional way. In addition to the traditional one, they have a version filled and covered with chocolate and another with pastry cream.

Price

: from 2.50 euros.

Where

: Alcalá, 77.

Panem

Among the large number of pieces of flaky pastries that this renowned and award-winning

artisanal bakery

makes daily, created by Antonio García (Best Pastry in Madrid at the ACYRE Madrid Gastronomic Awards in 2023), the best-selling is the traditional French-style croissant . Crispy, honeycombed and spongy on the inside, it was chosen as the Best Artisan Croissant in Spain in 2021. They also have chocolate, almond and pistachio pieces.

Price

: from 1.90 euros.

Where

: Fernán González, 42

Mother Friend

Wheat flour, Normandy butter, sugar, yeast and salt are the ingredients of the croissant made by hand in the workshop of these simple bakery chains (some with a place to sit and have a coffee) where bread and pastries rule. Classic, sweet, chocolate covered, salty, stuffed... the options are many. Price: from 1.90 euros. Where: Alonso Cano, 8; Teruel, 26.

The panazo

In addition to making its renowned organic artisanal bread, this

family bakery of Syrian origin

also makes traditional pastries and buns daily, which coexist in its display cases with a wide range of Syrian sweets, such as baklava, among other Arab pastries. You can't miss their classic croissant, made with flour, butter, yeast, eggs, sugar and salt. They also have mini ones and with almond cream.

Price

: from 1.80 euros.

Where

: Juan ramón Jiménez, 7.

Mallorca Pastry Shop

The stores of this almost centenary pastry group in Madrid are a classic for tasting this bun, they have it in all its versions and sizes and they leave their workshop daily and then bake in the store. The traditional butter is one of the most requested for breakfast.

Price

: from 2.75 euros (the

petit

version , 1.55 euros).

Where

: Velázquez, 59.

PAN.DELIRIUM

The eleven bakeries that this bakery has in Madrid boast not only of making one of the best roscones in the capital, but also up to twelve types of different breads, cheesecakes, puff pastries and, of course, croissants. The

classic artisan

is made with artisanal Asturian butter (82%) in the dough and extra-dry French butter (84%) in the puff pastry, as well as wheat flour without additives, sourdough, fresh yeast, water and salt. In addition to the Gianduja croissant, filled with a praline, they also have these savory buns, such as the Paris a Capri croissant, with buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomato, pesto and arugula; the Iberian, with Arturo Sánchez Iberian acorn-fed shoulder or mixed, with ham and smoked San Simón DOP melted cheese accompanied by a poached egg.

Price

: from 2 euros.

Where

: Juan Bravo, 21; Naranjo, 7 and more addresses.

Also at home

The food delivery company

Just Eat

is also participating in the celebration of International Croissant Day so that no one is left without this classic French pastry and will distribute the sweet from a wide variety of bakeries and cafes. Among the establishments that are signing up to deliver their croissants are: Manolo Bakes, Bombon Boss, El Obrador de Goya, Maison Kayser and Meraki Pastelería.