How We Laminate Our Croissants
There is something almost magical about a perfectly laminated croissant. That shattering crisp outer layer, the soft honeycomb pull inside, the buttery warmth that hits you the moment you take a bite. Here at Krumb, our croissants are made the old-fashioned way: by hand, with care, and with a whole lot of butter. If you have ever wondered how we do it, here is your behind-the-scenes look at how we laminate our croissants right here in Belfast.
What Is a Laminated Croissant, and Why Does It Matter?
Lamination is the process of folding cold butter into dough over and over again to create hundreds of paper-thin layers. When those layers hit a hot oven, the water in the butter turns to steam and puffs each layer apart, giving you that gorgeous, airy, flaky texture. It is the foundation of all great viennoiserie belfast bakers worth their salt have spent years perfecting.
Skip the lamination, or rush it, and you end up with something more like a bread roll than a croissant. Do it properly, and you get a laminated pastry that is golden, glossy and deeply satisfying. That is exactly what we are going for every single morning.
How We Laminate Our Croissants at Krumb
The process starts the day before the croissants ever reach the oven. We make our dough in small batches, letting it rest overnight so it develops real flavour and structure. The next morning, we work cold. Cold butter. Cold dough. Cold hands, ideally.
We roll the butter into a flat slab and encase it in the dough. Then comes the folding: a series of precise turns, each one chilling in between. This is what creates the layers in a laminated pastry. Fold too warm and the butter melts into the dough instead of staying as a distinct layer. Fold too thick and the layers do not separate properly in the oven.
At Krumb, we hand-laminate all of our croissants and viennoiserie. No shortcuts. No machinery doing the work for us. Just time, technique and a genuine love of doing things properly. We think you can taste the difference, and we hope you do too.
From Dough to Display: The Final Stages
Once the lamination is complete, we shape each croissant by hand. They proof slowly until they are pillowy and wobbling with life. Then into a hot oven they go, where they transform into those beautiful, burnished beauties you see gleaming in our display case.
We glaze each one before baking for that signature deep golden finish. Straight from the oven, the smell alone is worth the visit. Our croissant belfast regulars know: get here early if you want to catch them fresh from the oven.
Beyond the classic butter croissant, our laminated pastry range changes with the seasons. Some mornings you might find almond, or a seasonal fruit twist, or something a little more indulgent for a treat-yourself kind of day. Every last krumb of lamination work goes into each one.
Viennoiserie at Krumb: More Than Just Croissants
The same hand-lamination technique goes into all of our viennoiserie belfast folk have been loving. Pain au chocolat, kouign-amann, pain au raisin: each one built layer by layer, fold by fold, the proper way. It is time-consuming work. It is also deeply satisfying, and we would not have it any other way.
We make everything fresh daily in small batches, so when they are gone, they are gone. That is the nature of doing things properly. No sitting in a warmer all day. No made-this-morning-at-a-factory freshness. Just bake it nice, sell it fresh, and let the pastry speak for itself.
Questions We Get Asked
How many layers does a croissant have?
A classic croissant has 27 layers, achieved through three sets of folds. Each fold triples the number of layers. Get the lamination right and every single one of those layers puffs up beautifully in the oven.
Why do some croissants look flat or greasy?
Usually it is a temperature issue. If the butter gets too warm during lamination, it blends into the dough rather than staying separate. The result is a denser, greasier pastry. Keeping everything cold is the key to proper laminated pastry.
Do you make your viennoiserie fresh every day?
Every single morning. Small batches, baked fresh, sold on the day. We open Wednesday to Sunday at 9am, and once they are gone, that is your lot until tomorrow.
Order online: Croissant and more on click and collect.
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Come and taste the difference that proper hand-lamination makes. We are at 258 Ormeau Road, Belfast, open Wednesday to Sunday from 9am to 4pm. You can also order via click and collect to make sure your croissant belfast moment is saved just for you. Treat yourself. You deserve it.