Cronuts spotted at Ann Arbor Sunday Artisan Market
Uncle Neil's Bread and Donuts has started selling cronuts at the Sunday Artisan Market in Ann Arbor.
Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com
Neil Crockett of Uncle Neil's Bread and Donuts, a regular Sunday Ann Arbor Artisan Market vendor, brought his first batch of cronuts to the market on Sunday, and the word spread very quickly via social media. My coworker Ben Freed made it to the market just in time to buy the last half a cronut, just more than an hour after the market opened.
The first batch of Uncle Neil's cronuts at the Sunday Artisan Market sold out in just more than an hour.
Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com
I chatted a bit with baker Neil Crockett about the cronut baking process. As a longtime doughnut crafter, he said the frying part of the formula was like second nature for him. Mastering the flaky French croissant part of the equation took "hours and hours."
You can try Uncle Neil's doughnut-croissant hybrids for yourself. He'll be back in Ann Arbor with a fresh batch at next week's Sunday Artisan Market at 315 Detroit St., Ann Arbor, from 11a.m. to 4 p.m. You'll probably want to get there early.
Jessica Webster leads the Food & Grocery section for AnnArbor.com, a part of the MLive Media Group. Reach her at JessicaWebster@annarbor.com. You also can follow her on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.
Comments
Neil
Tue, Aug 27, 2013 : 6:35 p.m.
It was very helpful to read ALL of your comments. I'll set aside some small samples for discussion participants thus far. Come out Sunday and have a taste of ver 2.0
Walter
Tue, Aug 27, 2013 : 11:38 a.m.
That is not a Cronut...not even close. Go to NYC and get a real Cronut...you'll realize that this is not even a decent knock-off. FAIL!
Walter
Wed, Aug 28, 2013 : 11:29 a.m.
Neil "they will never be a real Cronut". So here's an idea, stop calling them Cronut's then. How about Fauxnuts? leezee I'm not actually from New York; have traveled there frequently for work. I just think it's kind of disingenuous for someone to put a product out there and call it something it's not in an attempt to ride the wave.
Neil
Tue, Aug 27, 2013 : 4:01 p.m.
and yes, these will never be a real Cronut.
Neil
Tue, Aug 27, 2013 : 3:24 p.m.
ver 1.0 I've got nine recipes to go.
leezee
Tue, Aug 27, 2013 : 12:12 p.m.
Oh, Walter, you must be from New York. I'm guessing Brooklyn since they are the folks that are the most rapid about their home state.
Jay
Tue, Aug 27, 2013 : 6:11 a.m.
These things are so overrated.
JRW
Tue, Aug 27, 2013 : 2:42 a.m.
Calories?
Jessica Webster
Tue, Aug 27, 2013 : 3:21 a.m.
Definitely.
A2centsworth
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 11:45 p.m.
Looks great!
actionjackson
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 11:42 p.m.
I'll still take a Fragel anytime.
Brad
Tue, Aug 27, 2013 : 12:06 a.m.
word!
cindy
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 10:41 p.m.
I haven't tried his cronuts yet but Uncle Neil's bread is fantastic.
treetowncartel
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 10:03 p.m.
@ Neil, if the name is trade marked just call them "Crow-nuts"
RUKiddingMe
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 10:37 p.m.
Crow nuts is already a thing. ...and they're gross.
Paige Reader
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 9:44 p.m.
Disclaimer: I know Dominique Ansel, the originator of the Cronut™ (yes, they are trademarked), and there's a whole lot more to his cronuts than appears to those attempting to knock them off. While it's great to see novelty items at the Sunday Artisan Market, these cannot be called, or described as, cronuts.
Jack Gladney
Tue, Aug 27, 2013 : 11:20 a.m.
"I know Dominique Ansel. Dominique Ansel is a friend of mine. You sir, are no Cronut.™ " ~ Ghost of Lloyd Bentsen
oldguy
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 9:16 p.m.
If they`ve "taken the COUNTRY by storm" how come you had to go to the East Coast to get one ??? ... until last Sunday anyway.
Jessica Webster
Tue, Aug 27, 2013 : 3:23 a.m.
Perhaps it should have read "taken the country's imagination by storm."
DBH
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 8:51 p.m.
While I know this is not a health food, I nonetheless would be interested in a nutritional analysis by the baker of his version of this fried croissant/cronut.
DBH
Tue, Aug 27, 2013 : 3:59 p.m.
More information is better than less.
Jack Gladney
Tue, Aug 27, 2013 : 11:15 a.m.
I looked it up. Nutritional Analysis: 100% Daily Allowance of Stuff We Shouldn't be Eating but Do because They're a Treat and They Taste Yummy and We Don't Make Them Part of Our Daily Diet.
Hmm
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 7:32 p.m.
Looks tasty, but not exactly like the real thing that I have seen. Doesn't the original have some kind of filling in it?
Neil
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 8:45 p.m.
Actually this first batch had quite stiff viscosity in the filling so it was difficult to inject and certainly did not flow laterally. I'll be increasing flowability for this next batch. It still won't make it all the way around the ring so the pleasure will be variegated (sorry geology term) with bites here and there both with and without filling for contrast. But if the real deal is throughout (i suspected they cut theirs along the sweet axis?) I am willing to shoot for that as well.
Jessica Webster
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 7:46 p.m.
You can see the filling in the smaller photo. The one I took home to photograph didn't have any filling, which I suspect may have been an oversight.
MeGrimlock
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 7:27 p.m.
deez cronuts?
Jessica Webster
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 7:27 p.m.
I would love to hear from more people who might have tried these at the Sunday Artisan Market. What did you think? Was it what you expected? I understand that there are some other bakers in town who are perfecting their own versions of the croissant - doughnut hybrid. Can't wait to see how those turn out.
onemoreminute
Tue, Aug 27, 2013 : 12:47 p.m.
I've been making croissants for years, and I made these right after I first saw the article a few months ago. They were de-licious!! Not something I'd make more than, oh, maybe once a year, but I'd like to have them almost every day.
Lizzy Alfs
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 11:57 p.m.
@Jessica Webster: If other Ann Arbor bakers come out with them, I vote we have an office taste test like we did with the paczkis.
vida
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 7:17 p.m.
I know what cronuts taste and look like and these are not them.
onemoreminute
Tue, Aug 27, 2013 : 12:49 p.m.
Neil - I had that problem when I did too many turns on my dough. It was a bit of a relief to back off on the turns and actually get a better product! Hope this helps...
Neil
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 8:51 p.m.
It's good to see this shot. I'm surprised that a spot can exist without noticeable butter layers. I'll do some quality control. Helpful comments... I'll shut up now :)
porchetta
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 8:03 p.m.
Unless everything you eat comes straight out of a cardboard box, I wouldn't expect consistency in food. I'm pretty sure my fried chicken is going to taste and look different than your fried chicken, but yet we still call them both fried chicken. Now, a more interesting comment would be about what you thought about them. Did they taste good? Not different, but good. Are they worth trying?
Kafkaland
Mon, Aug 26, 2013 : 6:40 p.m.
For anyone who wants to try making them at home - it's not particularly difficult. I found that ready-made croissant dough, like the crescents from Pillsbury, work quite nicely. Fold and roll out a few times, cut out donuts, and deep-fry in grapeseed oil, and you got a cronut ready for filling and glazing. But, like all fried food, it's really bad for you.