Calgary has a range of places offering beautiful buttery croissants, but one weighs in above the rest — literally! In addition to regular-sized filled croissants, Butter Block & Co makes a giant version, sized to feed six to 10 hungry pastry fans. Designed as a flakier and less sugary alternative to a birthday cake, the mammoth croissants must be ordered at least 48 hours in advance to give the team time to craft them from scratch.
The size
Butter Block’s giant croissant tips the scales at 550 grams, big enough to neatly fill an entire pastry box. The process is similar to making smaller croissants, with adjustments to ensure it’s cooked all the way through while still maintaining a crispy exterior. “We have to bake it at two different temperatures,” says owner Karen Kong. “First at a higher temperature to make sure it gets a good colour and then lower it to bake out the middle.”
The layers
As with all of Butter Block’s croissants, Kong goes for 81 layers of pastry (as opposed to the traditional 40 to 60), which give the croissant the strength to hold its ample filling and keep the giant version from collapsing into itself. “The layers give it that structure so, when I cut into it, it will still hold up,” Kong says.
The filling
The giant croissant comes in three flavours: almond, pandan coconut or black sesame, with fillings made fresh in-house. The baked croissants are cut, then filled and baked a second time. “I do get a lot of comments that my pastries are not overly sweet,” Kong says. “I try to let the flavours speak for themselves.”
The toppings
The giant croissants are topped with almonds, coconut or sesame to mimic the filling inside. The croissants get a smear of filling on top and then are dipped in the toppings, creating a decorative stripe and adding texture and crunch.
Suite 111, 908 17 Ave. S.W., butterblockyyc.com, @butterblockyyc
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