Paul Hollywood Shares An Insider Secret To Saving Stale Croissants

One of the best fun facts a baker can share is the secret of the almond croissant. Many people know that they are usually filled with frangipane, a buttery paste made from almond flour, and some have heard that almond extract usually provides most of the flavor. But not everyone is aware of the insider secret Paul Hollywood recently shared with his followers: Almond croissants are actually made from stale croissants.

The celebrity chef posted a video about the pastries on TikTok, where he says, "If you've ever bought croissant or you've ever made croissant and you've thought, 'Oh, they've gone stale. They don't last very long,' true, they don't last very long. But the trick is in the industry what we do is turn them into almond croissants."

Day-old croissants are actually preferred by bakers for any kind of twice-baked croissant, as they are much easier to cut than fresh ones. This is essential because, as Hollywood explains in his video, you need to slice a croissant in half in order to fill it with that delicious homemade frangipane. He says, "So you get your croissant, your dry croissant, cut it in half, smear it in the frangipane mix on both sides ... and then bake them in the oven for about 10 minutes."

The other thing that's great about stale croissants is that they absorb fillings better because they've dried out slightly. This helps avoid any soggy bottoms — and we all know how Hollywood feels about those. So, you can not only add a nice layer of frangipane, but you can also sprinkle on some flaky sea salt, chocolate chips, or a gooey caramel sauce. Some sliced bananas are also delicious, as are other types of chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans.

Hollywood likes to smear some jam and flaked almonds on top of his frangipane. He says in his video that you can add "a little kick of a little raspberry jam on top of it and turn it into almost a bakewell and then top it with flaked almonds."

If you're looking for other ways to refresh stale croissants, you can try quickly dipping them in a little water before putting them back in the oven for a refresh. If it hasn't been too long since they were baked, about five minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit should do. If that doesn't work, French toast is always an option, as is croissant bread pudding. You could even make fancy egg sandwiches. Just channel your inner Great British baker and don't throw any of those homemade croissants away. You can give them a new life pretty easily.