Is This Breakfast? The Pretzel Croissant
Multiple choice time! The image you see at right is:
a) a pretzel
b) a croissant
c) breakfast
d) a snack
e) A, B, and D, but not C
f) all of the above
A tough one, isn’t it? The City Bakery in New York City is famous for many things, its fudge-thick hot chocolate and beloved chocolate chip cookies among them. But the only baked good to have its own website—really—is the pretzel croissant.
A happy oven-fresh love child of Paris and New York, the pretzel croissant is just what it sounds like—croissant dough in pretzel form. Now, if you made a pretzel-to-croissant spectrum, this guy would fall about two-thirds of the way toward the latter end; its pretzel tendencies are mainly superficial. The crust is crisp and very salty, studded with sesame seeds and baked long enough to give each little pastry arm a satisfying crunch. The interior, however, is tender and flaky—a pastry dough with nothing pretzel-like about it.
There’s no question it works. I’d been suspicious of a salty croissant, but one bite proved me wrong: the crust is crunchy enough to stand alone, mellowed by ensuing bites of buttery pastry without overwhelming them with salt. It’s snackable and addictive. But is it breakfast? I’m not sure. As eagerly as I devoured this pretzel croissant, I’m much more inclined toward something bready and sweet with my morning cappuccino.
So what do you think, serious eaters? Would you eat this croissant for breakfast?
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24 Comments:
I would. And I have. I used to work around the corner from the City Bakery and I constantly had to fight pretzel croissant temptation!
producestories at 9:20AM on 12/03/08
I would--I prefer savory to sweet in the morning, actually any time at all. They look terrific--wish I lived there.
dhorst at 9:26AM on 12/03/08
I never met a croissant I didn't like, even if it came disguised as a pretzel.
juliebugsmama at 9:43AM on 12/03/08
Being from Philadelphia, Pretzels are a breakfast staple in the city!
So yes...this is breakfast!
carolinemarie at 9:44AM on 12/03/08
Oh yes. Yes yes yes! Absolutely!
CookiePie at 9:54AM on 12/03/08
I would definitely have it for breakfast! I alternate between wanting sweet and savory in the morning and this sounds divine.
I may have to go get one for lunch or an after work snack today.
katalia at 10:06AM on 12/03/08
g. expensive
foodinmouth at 10:08AM on 12/03/08
I definitely would
TaylorShocks at 10:08AM on 12/03/08
I've often had these for breakfast, and still do on occasion. Only problem is, I can tell from the first bite if Maury Rubin is in NYC; something about his presence seems necessary for the kitchen to produce ideal baked goods. Occasionally just a glance at them will tell the story, and on those days, I pass; I hate being disappointed, and I know how brilliant these can be.
mongoose at 10:20AM on 12/03/08
hell. yeah.
gastronomeg at 10:23AM on 12/03/08
I would eat it in the morning
I would eat it without warning
I would eat in on a train
I would eat it on a plane
Laurel E at 10:58AM on 12/03/08
Absolutely. Without question.
Kerosena at 11:32AM on 12/03/08
i would marry that for breakfast
ninalalli at 11:41AM on 12/03/08
The pretzel croissants are amazing. I would eat them anytime.
hungryone at 11:52AM on 12/03/08
I'm craving one already - I sometimes put croissants under the broiler for a few seconds to make the tops a little crunchy, and to get the insides a little melty.
MMinNYC at 12:41PM on 12/03/08
I would totally eat that for breakfast, and then feel slightly gross the rest of the day. But I'd still do it.
butterface at 1:07PM on 12/03/08
They are incredible but if you eat one for breakfast you will not be hungry for the rest of the day. Maybe that is a good thing. I prefer mine in the afternoon with the hot chocolate.
izzy's mama at 1:26PM on 12/03/08
How can a croissants not be worthy of breakfast?
jdshd at 2:34PM on 12/03/08
this may be the most delicious baked item on the planet, i would eat it anywhere, anytime.
casalee at 4:34PM on 12/03/08
Breakfast? Hell, yes. Nothing better than this and a hot chocolate shot to start the day. It's probably what I miss most about working on 19th street.
consequences at 4:36PM on 12/03/08
As that used to frequently eat a breakfast of a soft pretzel and a vitamin water purchased from a street vendor, (I'm a Philly girl too, hi five caroline!) I'd have to say hands down Yes.
agk685 at 7:24PM on 12/03/08
@consequences: I can top that! There's a Japanese bake shop on the south side of Stuyvesant Street that sells a barely sweetened coffee jello with a layer of panna cotta on top; somehow, reconceptualized coffee seems perfect with a reconceptualized croissant :D
mongoose at 9:16AM on 12/04/08
I'd fly to New York for another one of those.
AnnaCG at 11:50AM on 12/04/08
This plus a shot of hot chocolate=heaven.
dbdtron
dbdtron at 9:42AM on 12/05/08