Almond Croissants Meet Cinnamon Rolls In This Delightful Breakfast Pastry

I once worked at a French bakery where the best-selling item was our twice-baked almond croissant. We made them in the traditional way—by filling day-old croissants with a drizzle of simple syrup and a scoop of fragrant almond cream, then baking them again until they were crisp. Using day-old croissants is convenient in more ways than one: It gives new life to pastries that might otherwise be thrown away or sold at a hefty discount, and because the slightly stale croissants are less fragile, they’re much easier to work with. Plus, the slightly stale pastry is better able to absorb the rich, creamy filling without becoming soggy. 

These pastries were so popular people would line up around the block in hopes of procuring one. On weekends, the demand was so great that we often had no choice but to bake hundreds of extra fresh croissants, let them stale for several hours, then turn them into even more almond croissants.

It’s been almost four years since I left my job at the bakery, and the almond croissant is one of the pastries that I miss the most. Since I don’t usually have the time or resources to make them myself at home, I’ve started to make almond buns, which are essentially a mash-up of twice-baked almond croissants and cinnamon rolls, my other favorite breakfast treat. I swap out the croissants with a bread dough enriched with milk, butter, and eggs that I fill with sweet almond cream and baked into soft, pillowy rolls. It’s an easier way to satisfy my craving for an almond croissant—and though it isn’t quite the same, it’s just as delicious. 

Key Techniques for Making Delicious Almond Rolls 

My ideal rolls are light and lofty with a plush, feathery crumb. While most freshly baked cinnamon rolls start out this way, it only takes a few hours for them to lose their softness and become hard and slightly dry. Using a higher-hydration dough is one solution, but a wetter dough can be tricky to work with and harder to shape. After much trial and error, I came up with a method for making rolls that are easy to shape and stay fluffy and tender for longer: using a tangzhong. That, plus a few other important technical details, are the keys to success.

The Benefit of a Tangzhong

These rolls get their fluffy texture from tangzhong, a mixture of flour and milk or water that’s whisked together and cooked on the stove until a thick, stretchy paste forms. This process helps hydrate and gelatinize the starches in the flour, resulting in moist bread that stays fresher for longer. As Serious Eats contributor Andrew Janjigian touched on in his shokupan recipe, a gelled mixture of flour and water is “drier in texture than an identical ungelled one,” which “allows you to make a dough with more water in it than it could otherwise contain” without it becoming unworkably wet and sloppy.

The Importance of Thorough Kneading

Bakers and pastry chefs often caution against overworking doughs and batters, which can result in tough, chewy cakes and cookies. But some baked goods, like these rolls, benefit from a good knead, which organizes the gluten proteins glutenin and gliadin into a strong, extensible network that supports the dough as it rises in the oven. 

Since this dough is soft and sticky, I recommend using a stand mixer to knead it, as attempting to knead it with your hands and incorporating too much flour can result in tough, dry rolls. You’ll want to knead the dough until enough gluten has developed and it passes the windowpane test, which indicates the dough has developed enough elasticity: Pull off a golf ball-sized piece of dough and, using two hands, slowly stretch it as thinly as possible without ripping it. Hold the stretched dough up to the light, and if you can see through it, the dough is ready for its first rise. If not, continue kneading until you can stretch the dough thinly without it tearing. 

Proper Proofing

Like many yeasted doughs, these rolls require two rises: the first rise, also called the bulk fermentation, and the second rise, which is known as the final proof. As Serious Eats contributor Max Bernstein wrote in his guide to breadmaking, bulk fermentation is when the yeast does most of its work—consuming sugars and producing carbon dioxide, ethanol, and other byproducts—that help leaven the dough and deepen its flavor. To ensure the dough is adequately proofed, let it rise at warm room temperature (75 to 80°F; 24 to 27°C) until it’s puffy and has doubled in size—the dough should spring back slowly when gently pressed with a finger. 

After shaping the dough into rolls and nestling it into the baking pan, you’ll leave the dough to rise once more. This gives the gluten a chance to relax: Dough that hasn’t had time to rest will tear and deflate, instead of stretching and expanding into light, fluffy rolls. During the final proof, the dough will continue to produce carbon dioxide and rise, resulting in soft, airy rolls once baked.

Make a Great Almond Filling

At its most basic, almond cream (also called creme d’amande) is made by beating softened butter, sugar, eggs, and ground almonds together until it resembles thick cake batter. My version, like many others, incorporates an aromatic blend of flavorings including citrus zest, vanilla and almond extracts, and a splash of brandy.

Many people may call this mixture “frangipane,” though that term technically refers to almond cream that has been lightened with pastry cream. Almond cream is also not to be confused with marzipan or almond paste, which are both made from varying amounts of ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites, and contain no butter. 

How to Shape the Almond Rolls

The dough will be sticky, so be sure to generously flour your work surface and rolling pin. To shape the rolls, roll the dough into a 10- by 14-inch rectangle about half an inch thick, then use an offset spatula to spread a thick layer of almond cream evenly across it. It will feel like a lot, but ensures that each bite is packed with bold almond flavor. 

How to Serve

Starting with the long end, roll the dough into a tight log, then slide a strand of thread, unflavored dental floss, or butcher’s twine under the dough then cross the ends over the top and pull tight to slice the dough into seven portions. (This is a clever trick that former Serious Eats editor Stella swears by for cutting her cinnamon rolls neatly without squishing the dough, but a serrated knife will work too.) Nestle the buns into a greased 9-inch aluminum cake pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let the dough proof until they’ve doubled in size.

While these rolls are wonderful topped with nothing more than a dusting of powdered sugar, a buttery almond glaze makes them even more delicious. To keep the rolls gooey and moist, pour the glaze over the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven. Enjoy these rolls while they’re still fresh and warm, and they might just become your new favorite breakfast pastry.

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