Taste-testing the TikTok viral XXL croissant in London: whats the verdict on pastry bigger than y

Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of baking, or who has ever watched the Great British Bake-Off, will spot potential disaster scrawled across its flaky top. Most standard-size croissants out there are underbaked, with greasy, soggy interiors.

A croissant that weighs in at more than three pounds (1.35kg) and looks as if it has been bingeing on steroids surely will not be baked through before its crust goes from tantalisingly brown and flaky to dry and possibly burnt.

To gauge how catastrophic this gigantic croissant might be, Verena Lochmuller gave it a taste test. As head of development at the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen in north London, she is an expert on the subject of baking in general and assessment in particular.

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Croissants are a big deal at Ottolenghi stores across the city. Among all the eye-catching delicacies on display, croissants sell out every day at all stores, Lochmuller says.

The giant pastry, which must be pre-ordered, is first transported across north London from the Philippe Conticini storefront on Camden High Street to the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen.

The patisserie also has a store in London’s South Kensington and a flagship store in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, where it is sold as the Croissant XL, although it is no smaller than those sold in London; it goes for €32, or US$40, in France.

Inside the sunny test kitchen, we pull the croissant from its unexceptional white-paper bag and packaging and place it on the wooden counter. “I thought it would be bigger,” Lochmuller says.

She notes that the top is a little “wonky” and slightly dented, unlike the curls that unfurl on a first-class croissant. Picking the XXL up, though, she is impressed with its weight – or lack thereof: it feels lighter than a severely undercooked croissant would. Could it actually be baked through?

The only way to find out is to cut it open. Lochmuller’s preferred method of eating a croissant is to tear off the ends to snack on, and then cut it horizontally so it can be spread with butter and jam.

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These ends are actually good. They have the requisite crusty flakiness and sweet, buttery taste of a quality croissant. When cut in half vertically – “the big reveal”, pronounces Lochmuller – the pastry passes her sight test.

Layers billow out from the centre rather than congealing, although to the touch they are a bit waxy. The XXL seems properly cooked through, given its size. “Pleasantly surprised,” says the baker.

No aesthetic, however, is more important than taste, and Lochmuller deems the croissant “good”. As with a cake that has excessive frosting, she finds a big, soft, buttery, slightly savoury interior that contrasts with the outer golden shell – but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

“The quality is better than I expected,” she says. “I’ve certainly had worse ones that are small, from reputable places.”

The croissant, she declares, lacks a certain “plushness” that you find in the best: the interior does not have that light, dancing-on-air quality. “Day-to-day, I prefer small croissants,” she says.

Lochmuller says she is not tempted to compete by creating a supersized croissant at Ottolenghi. “It’s very TikTok-y – not what we do.”

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She notes, however, that it would make an excellent brunch centrepiece. Filled with ham and cheese and baked, it could provide an excellent alternative, or prelude, to a cake.

“All melty and gooey to present to your guests for that wow factor,” is how she envisions it.

And the £25 price tag? Lochmuller pronounces it is a decent deal for such an attention-getting treat – and for all the butter that goes into making it.

“They could have sold it for £50, and people would buy it,” she says.

Verdict: buy it.

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