The Definitive* Top Three Croissants in Seattle – Slog

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I spent a decade looking for the best croissants in Seattle, and the number is growing.

The official hunt began when I got my first coffee job at Walnut Street Coffee in Edmonds when I was a little 17 year old bisexual. It was the early morning spot in Edmonds known for its large number of regulars who were 75 and older.

Walnut grounded my passion for baked goods and introduced me to the croissant-a-day-prevent-the-doctor-away lifestyle, but I’ve been obsessed with baking since I was a kid. Really obsessed. When I was in 8th grade, I baked a cake almost every day after school. I realized I had gone too far when I regularly invited 10-15 friends to cupcake contests that lasted about five hours.

There is something seductive about a good croissant. The flake. The butter. The pairing with good coffee. I recently took stock and I estimate that in about ten years I will have eaten 1,000 croissants. In view of all of the food, I was asked to share my meetings with the public.

Here are the three best Will Darling croissants in Seattle.

THE BEST CROISSANT IS MEERWOLF‘S CROISSANT IN FREMONT

The first time I ate a sea wolf croissant, my friend laughed at me because of the look on my face. I was in awe. My face looked like Rihanna had just asked me out on a date while wearing this outfit. I was shocked at the complexity of what I was experiencing. When I pulled the croissant apart (this is how I eat every croissant) I could see how infinitely much layering looked in it. It turned out to have 27 layers. SEVEN TWENTY LAYERS. Are you kidding me? How do you do this?

I needed to know the secret behind those James Beard-nominated bakery croissants, so I reached out to Lane Bestold, a longtime Sea Wolf baker, to get the deets.

Making a croissant “is literally an art form and people have no idea how much work goes into it,” Bestold told me. The croissants take at least 72 hours to prepare (a three day process !!!) and he said it was “the most technical” thing he has ever done in his career.

The complexity of the croissant manufacturing process goes beyond technical skill – it’s a multi-sensory process. “The croissant is literally alive,” said Bestold. “You create life. People think that the bakers are in control of this process, but that’s not true. It’s a dom / sub relationship and you are like a service top. You hear the croissant. It tells you what to do. If you take it too far, it won’t get right. ”He uses every sense to adjust to the needs of this pastry. No wonder she is so. Damn it. are good.

More information about Sea Wolf Bakers can be found here.

THE RUNNER UP CROISSANT IS THE CROISSANT AT TEMPLE PASTRY IN THE CENTRAL DISTRICT

This is a classically delicious croissant. Almost as good as Sea Wolf, but not quite as fabulous. (The taste of the butter in the croissant at Sea Wolf is superior to that of Temple Pastries.)

What makes this bakery special? “After two years of work, you get access to a profit sharing scheme,” said Eliza Summerlin, a longtime hospitality professional who has worked in bakeries across town and is currently a cheese merchant for the Central Co-Op. What does that mean? You basically become the “owner of the company”.

You can find more information about temple pastries here.

THIRD PLACE BEST CROISSANT IS ROSELLINI‘S CROISSANT IN BALLARD

Since we live in the land of rich white mothers, our croissant game is strong. I think if we weren’t living in the land of rich white mothers this croissant would take the cake. The tech skills at Temple Pastries and Sea Wolf make these two bakeries really, really hard to beat. But if a croissant had to roughly knock these two perfect croissants off their delicate little croissant stands, it would be this at Rosellini.

Kudos to my mother Sharon Richards for introducing me to Rosellini. I tried her croissant for the first time when she insisted we get Rosellini to go for her birthday last October. And, WOW, delicious. Great flake.

You can find more information about Rosellini here.