A warm croissant and a cup of coffee. Few things in life are more satisfying – but only if that croissant is exactly right. And it turns out, the perfect croissant is not a happy accident: there are hours of craft and obsession behind every decision, and a level of detail most people never think to look for. All invisible until you take that first bite. 

Music to our ears
Have you ever noticed the sound a croissant makes when you tear it apart? For Catherine Adonis, pastry chef at the Saxon Hotel’s Qunu restaurant, it’s music to her ears and the detail she obsesses over the most. Qunu received a star at this year’s Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards, and Catherine received the Eat Out Callebaut Dessert Award on the same night. So, when she talks about croissants, we know to listen. “When it’s perfectly mixed, laminated, proved and baked to a perfect crisp, it makes the most amazing sound when it breaks.”   

It’s something most pastry lovers might not think about as they tear open their freshly made croissant, but it’s the details that count when it comes to viennoiserie (the category that bridges bread and patisserie and in which croissants sit).  

Woolworths’ focus on the details starts with a clear understanding of quality. “It’s a combination of multiple aspects,” says Jac Kolver, product developer, Bakery and Market Bakery at Woolworths Foods. “The quality of ingredients, the care and skill applied by our supplier partners when using these ingredients and the final result: delivering the most delicious croissants showcasing the Woolies difference within the local retail space.” And it’s the details, he says, that make that possible. “It’s how we ensure that our product is different and special within the market; we truly love the small details at Woolworths.” 

Baking with butter
Ask a pastry chef about the one thing they won’t compromise on in the kitchen and chances are, the answer will involve butter. “Margarine has no place in your kitchen, especially not in your viennoiserie,” explains Catherine. “My favourite part of butter in croissants is the slightly caramelised flavour the butter takes on as it cooks at a high temperature; the smell when you open the oven door is a moment on its own.” 

For Jac, butter was the only option when it came to Woolworths croissants. “Butter creates a far superior croissant, delivering wonderful lamination, texture and mouthfeel and an unmatched flavour when compared to margarine,” he says. Lamination – the technique of folding and rolling butter into dough repeatedly to create those signature flaky layers – is something Woolworths takes seriously. “It’s our commitment to only use butter across all of our croissants within Woolworths and we’re very proud and passionate about this part.”  

Woolworths croissants have no less than 16 layers of butter in each one. Why 16? “It delivers the best balance for us between visual lamination, internal honeycomb structure and subsequently the desired eating experience,” explains Jac, highlighting the level of detail that goes into every croissant.   

It’s a process
Mastering a pastry method requires perseverance, and for Catherine, patience is what separates a good baker from a great baker. “Especially with croissants, they take time!” she points out. “Dough proving, refrigerating, resting between folds, proving again…” But beyond the time it takes to make a single batch of croissants, you need to have the patience to perfect your skill: “the patience to try again and maybe even again… The pursuit of excellence,” she says.  

In Catherine’s case, it took her years to find the lamination method that worked for her. “Many bakers and methods fold differently and many different times – there is more than one folding method that will yield an amazing croissant and finding what’s perfect for my needs took time,” the pastry chef explains.  

When asked which details she thinks are most underrated in pastry kitchens, her answer is simple. “Getting the basics right before you move on to next steps and complicated details. This applies to croissants, cakes, desserts, chocolate work, nearly every avenue of pastry. Start simple and build.” 

The final layer
For Catherine, the perfect croissant is a balance: “a crisp shell-like finish with a tender inside, flavours of fermentation and golden butter, the perfect salty, slightly sweet finish and beautiful layers.” So, the next time you tear apart a warm-from-the-oven croissant, take a moment to listen to the sound it makes. Feel the layers and appreciate the fine honeycomb structure inside. And enjoy it like Jac does, “just as is, with a cappuccino.”