Directly from Sweden comes the new pastry puzzle that is making the social world go crazy: the Crube, a name derived from the union of croissant and cube. The trend was born in 2018 thanks to the idea of pastry chef Bedros Kabranian: instead of rolling the dough in the classic crescent shape, Bedros thought of baking the croissant dough inside a square metal mold.
The result? A puff pastry cube, crispy outside and soft inside, ready to be filled with creams, jams or other delicious sweet or savory fillings. A real temptation for the eyes and the palate!
A PUZZLE TO SOLVE
Bedros envisioned creating a cube-shaped croissant, certainly a genius gimmick to impress even the most discerning palates, but soon the Swedish pastry chef ran into a real puzzle to solve, somewhat like the famous Rubik's Cube from which the Crube is inspired.
The main problem was related to size and space. In traditional dough, the croissant sheet doubles or even triples its volume during baking, and this was going to ruin the cube shape that Bedros aspired to.
After a laborious period of trial and experimentation, Bedros finally found the winning solution: a sealed metal mold. By filling the mold up to 85 percent with dough, the pastry grew much less than the traditional croissant and also lost less butter during baking: this allowed the desired cubic shape to be maintained. Weights were then placed on top of the mold to further compress the dough during rising and baking, thus ensuring a perfectly square result.
The fruit of this ingenious process is a veritable cube of puff pastry: crispy on the outside like a croissant, but with a firmer texture on the inside thanks to its geometric shape. An explosion of goodness, ready to delight the palate with that unmistakable flavor we all love!
HOW TO MAKE THE CRUBE?
Are you ready to solve this alternative Rubick's cube? Let's get started!
- Dough.The same dough is used as for traditional croissants,read the recipe here.
- Square mold.It is essential to use a square metal mold, usually 10x10 cm, to give the cube shape during baking, preferably closed.
- Quantity of dough.The mold should be filled up to about 85 percent with the dough to allow for proper expansion during rising and baking without losing its shape.
- Levitation.The dough rises directly inside the mold for a period that usually varies between 6 and 18 hours depending on the recipe.
- Use of weights.During baking, heavy trays are placed on top of the mold to compress the dough and make it maintain its cubic shape.
- Extended baking. It is recommended that cubic croissants be baked for a few minutes longer than traditional croissants, until dark brown, to better define the corners.
- Filling.Once baked, cubic croissants can be filled to your taste with creams, chocolate, jams or other sweet or savory fillings.
CRUBE VS CROISSANT: WHICH IS THE BEST?
Thecube brioches are rocking the greedy world, capturing attention with their eye-catching shape and exquisite goodness, but are they really as special as they say?"
Advantages (Pros)
- Catchy aesthetics and veryinstagrammable. The unusual, geometric cubic shape attracts a lot of attention on social media, making them viral and photogenic.
- Texture crispy outside and soft inside. The texture is slightly firmer inside due to the compression of the dough in the mold.
- More portions to share. The cube shape allows for more pieces than a single croissant.
- Newness and differentiation. TheCrubs represent a novelty compared to classic croissants, allowing bakeries to stand out.
Disadvantages (Cons)
- Difficulty in preparation. Determining the right amount of dough, rising and baking times to get the perfect shape requires a lot of practice and experience.
- Higher price. Being a niche product, they tend to have a higher cost than traditional croissants.
In short, theCrube is proof that even the simplest ideas can hide real challenges to overcome. But when passion and ingenuity come together, any puzzle can be successfully solved giving us unique delights to enjoy.
