If you’re a longtime reader of this blog, you’ll know that I *love* croissants. GOOD croissants. Made-in-France croissants. I am a croissant snob. I will say that I’ve never had a perfect croissant outside of Paris… until this past week when I traveled to B. Patisserie in San Francisco.
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| a perfect croissant with a cappuccino at B. Patisserie |
The perfect croissant is a million layers, with the perfect flakiness on the outside that has a nice crunch when you bite into it. Then, the inside is light and airy and soft. The croissants at B. Patisserie were perfect. I had been searching for a perfect croissant since going to Paris frequently is not in the itinerary – but I do think I can manage frequent trips to San Francisco since it’s a 2 hour drive to the city center.
So, I did a little research about this bakery and found out the owner trained under Pierre Herme. Never heard of Pierre Herme? He is the grand master at French pastries. He makes the BEST CROISSANT IN THE WHOLE WORLD!! (yes I’m shouting because it’s SO GOOD!). I wrote about it here. Ok, so now it makes sense that this lady knows what she’s doing! She learned from the best!
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| viennoisseries |
Ok, what else did we try besides the plain butter croissant?
Well, we tried the Almond Orange Croissant. It was even BETTER than the plain croissant. It had almonds on top but then inside was orange zest with an orange syrup. I… forgot to take a picture because it was gobbled right up!
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| a look inside the pastry case |
We also tried the Passion Fruit Almond Bostock. I was a little iffy about trying this. But guess what?? It was good.I didn’t know what a Bostock even was… but I liked it. I looked it up after the fact. A Bostock is when almond frangipane tops a brioche. I would 100% eat it again.
Okay, now let’s talk about what this patisserie is most famous for… it’s Kouign Amman. Say what? “Queen Ah-man “it’s how you say it! It is essentially a croissant dough but there is sugar added to the dough and then it is baked in a circle. The bottom of the Kouign Amman was this little caramelized layer of sugar… followed by flakes of buttery goodness.
The Kouign Amman originated from the Breton region in France and literally is “butter cake”.
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| Kouign Ammans sit in the bottom of this picture! |
So, what’d we think of the Kouign Amman? It was GOOD. We tried plain, chocolate, and an apple cranberry. They were all very good. There are so many different flavors of this pastry, I’m sure you could find one you like!
The final verdict?
Every. single. thing. was good. Not just good… excellent. I was really impressed with B. Patisserie and I know we will be making a point to go there in the future… perhaps next time we will have to try something out of the refrigerator case (sorry key lime tart wasn’t singing to me at 9am!).
Oh, and yes, parking is bad. But it’s SF. It’s always bad. Please continue to circle until you find a spot – it’s worth it.
There are other bakeries in San Francisco I’ve written about…
Tartine Bakery (honestly, B. Patisserie is much better).
Craftsman and Wolves in my other favorite bakery – the owner makes very good pastries that have more unique flavors. Very very good. My second favorite bakery in San Francisco!
I appreciate your reviews. This one looks fabulous and I can't wait to go!
Thank you! You must make the trip there!
Did you eat all those different croissants in the same visit or did you visit multiple times? 🙂 The best croissants I've had outside France are from the Williams and Sonoma catalog. A friend sent us some for Christmas one year, and they are absolutely the best! They come frozen. I know!? But, you let them rise 8-9 hours overnight, pop them in the oven for 15 minutes, and they come out perfect. Layers and layers of crisp buttery flakes with soft insides. You must try them.
Judith
Ate them all in one visit! Oops, yes oink oink, but hey, there were 4 of us there so it's not like Ate 6 pastries all on my own. We split them into fours so we could try lots! I am going to have to try those WS ones, I think Oprah said they were really good too. Much easier than baking them, going to San Francisco or Paris!
That sounds like the perfect way to sample croissants–with friends. I agree–easier than baking from scratch (I always think of the chocolate croissants in the film "It's Complicated.") Delicious photos!
Yes, going with lots of people (who are willing to share) makes it much more fun… you get to try lots more!!
I would lose my mind in a shop like that! That pastry case is beautiful and I would have serious weight issues if we had a shop like that here. Excellent review!
I would also have serious weight issues if that shop were near me… the only thing for the people living near that shop in San Francisco is that you have to walk a lot in that area! I am glad you enjoyed the review!
Oh it's just not fair to tease us with this when we live so far away! Those croissants look like a little bit of heaven. Bakeries are just wonderful!
Thank you for joining Thoughts of Home on Thursday. We are so happy to have you. 🙂
Well Judith up above wrote that the William Sonoma croissants are super good… So, perhaps it isn't so far away after all 😉
Oh how I wish there was a TASTE button on computers! 🙂
Thank you so very much for joining Thoughts of Home on Thursday. Your presence really helped to make it very special. I hope you will return again and again.
Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Valentine's Day!
I agree! Thanks for hosting!
How awesome that looks! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!