At the croissant bench
Oliver folds each batch three times, chilling the dough between turns so the butter stays in clean sheets. The result is a shatter of crisp edges around a soft, honeycombed middle.
Plain, almond, chocolate and a ham-and-cheese version for lunch all come from the same patient dough.
Tarts and turnovers
Seasonal fruit goes into crisp shortcrust cases or folded inside puff pastry. Apple and cinnamon in autumn, rhubarb in spring, berries in summer.
A custard tart with a blistered top is always on the shelf for people who like to keep things simple.
Morning buns and swirls
Cinnamon swirls, cardamom knots and orange-sugar buns come out of the oven in a warm, sticky cloud. They taste best the first hour, but the second hour is not bad either.
Weekends sometimes bring a pull-apart bun that is meant to be shared, or not.
Savoury bakes
- Cheese and onion plaits
- Spinach and feta twists
- Sausage rolls made with local pork
- Mushroom and thyme turnovers
- Sundried tomato and basil swirls
Notes on lamination
- Mix
A simple dough is mixed, rested and chilled overnight.
- Lock
A flat block of butter is sealed inside the dough.
- Fold
Three turns, with a rest between each one.
- Shape
Dough is cut, rolled and left to prove slowly.
- Bake
A hot oven and a steady eye until deep gold.