The trend in short: Pastry teams across the country are pushing croissants into new shapes and flavor territory, but the chefs leading the charge agree on one thing: the lamination itself is non-negotiable. Whether it's a cube, a bow, or a savory hand pie, the layered structure that makes a croissant a croissant has to survive the reinvention.
Not every operator is chasing the spiral-croissant look that performs well on social. Sandra Holl of Chicago's Floriole Cafe & Bakery notes that forcing dough into tight, uniform shapes, like weighting it down to get a "hockey puck" look, restricts the rise and produces a denser, less airy crumb. Her approach keeps the classic shape and lets fillings (strawberry-white chocolate ganache, seasonal vegetables) do the innovating instead.
The throughline across every bakery in this trend isn't novelty for its own sake — it's finding new formats and flavor angles that don't compromise the lamination technique that took years to master. For operators building out a pastry case or brunch menu, the real opportunity lies in extending a proven, labor-intensive product into new dayparts and price points rather than starting from scratch.
Sourcing the right base ingredients — from butter to specialty flours — is part of getting lamination right at scale. Paris Gourmet's team can help you find the right building blocks for your next croissant program.
Want the full story, including more chef interviews and photos? Read the original feature here.
Yes — texture is the main risk. Chefs interviewed for this trend note that over-toasting, over-compressing, or restricting the dough's rise all flatten the airy, flaky quality that defines a properly laminated croissant.
Multiple bakeries have built repeat-selling menu items around savory croissants (sausage, egg, cheese-based fillings), suggesting it's becoming a standing menu category rather than a one-off promotion.