This morning, my wife wanted croissants, and I agreed they sounded good. But we couldn’t get ourselves out of bed at a reasonable time to go out, and I was plagued by nightmares about vacationing with friends to an unfamiliar beach that turned out to be a dystopian hellscape, with crumbling, graffiti-strewn hotels and roving gangs of punks straight out of an ’80s movie, daring vacationers to pass their flaming barricades and swinging chains to catch a glimpse of the ocean. But enough about my inner turmoil!
By the time I got up and dressed, I figured most bakeries would be slammed by the brunch crowd, so I went off to bring home croissants from Buttermilk Bakery, a newish Winter Park bakery we’ve only been to once before, but I never reviewed. (http://www.buttermilk-bakery.com/)
I was lucky to find the last parking space in the back, since they were doing bang-up business, with every table full and a line almost out the door. But once I got up front, I was greeted by friendly bakers and a dazzling array of croissants and other pastries:
Since we rarely make it out there, I ended up bringing home two plain croissants (although there is nothing “plain” about them), a morning bun, a monkey bread croissant, and a cinnamon sugar brioche doughnut. They definitely made my wife’s morning, especially after I brewed up some cafe con leche for her. After dreaming of seaside terrors and a fight for survival amid Art Deco ruins, the flaky, buttery, rich croissant and vaguely floral-accented morning bun helped me find my center as well.
We are so lucky to have access to a plethora of awe-inspiring bakeries here in Orlando. At this point, I don’t even mess with anything from the Publix bakery. We have so many better local options, for the rare times I indulge in sweets. (My wife is the one with the sweet tooth!) We’re the hugest fans of Se7enbites, especially for pie, and we’ve had great experiences at Benjamin French Bakery and now Buttermilk Bakery for croissants. Heartsong Cookies and Gideon’s Bakehouse both make some of the best cookies I’ve ever had, and The Gourmet Muffin specializes in… well, you can guess. These are all baked goods — no baked bads among them!
The Saboscrivner 