Behind the trend: Hybrid bakes
From cronuts and crookies to doughsants and duffins, we explore the eccentric world of the crossbreed bake.
In the beginning
In 2013, New York pastry chef Dominique Ansel crossed a doughnut with a croissant and invented the Cronut® (pictured below). It was an instant hit and one of the year’s most sought-after items – there were long queues, and touts sold them on the black market.
Then...
Ansel trademarked the name, but the idea of mash-ups quickly caught on, and hybrid bakes sprang up worldwide. Toronto’s Clafouti Patisserie squished together croissants and Oreos to create a ‘Crookie’.
Now...
Mash-ups are still huge. Instagram is awash with sushi cakes and other quirky pairings, and even Greggs offers the Greggsnut – a sticky croissant-doughnut combo. Ansel's new London branch, which opened in September 2016, is guaranteed to see queues.
Make your own
Ansel shares a Cronut® recipe in his book, Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes. But he admits it is challenging: ‘If you don’t bake, start off with something simpler, like madeleines.’
Explore the trend
Try Edd Kimber's 'doughsant' recipe (pictured above)
Read Dominique Ansel's 'Cronut® 101'
Try making Ansel's Cronut® recipe at home
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From September 2016
