I really want to go with biscuit. As someone born, raised, and currently living in the South, that seems like it would be the logical choice for me. I’ve had biscuits that were so good that I turn into Homer Simpson just thinking about them. I have driven miles out of my way just so I can get a sack full of Popeye’s biscuits (the chicken is just the side dish). While I’m eating a good biscuit, I start assuring myself that I could carry 50 lbs of biscuit weight without anyone noticing. My domestically-challenged self has even tried to make my own biscuits from scratch so that I can gorge on them whenever I want. They always turn out to terribly. But my dream of the perfect biscuit will never die!
The problem is that I also think biscuits suck. For every fluffy cloud of heavenly buttery goodness out there, there are three dry lumps of baked flour that someone is trying to pass off as edible. And these things are everywhere, waiting to choke you when you least suspect it. A truly delicious biscuit is hard to find, even here in the South.
So that brings us to croissants. I really like croissants. They don’t excite me like top-shelf biscuits do, but they’ve got one thing going for them: They never disappoint. I have never been bamboozled by a croissant. When I pick up some at the grocery store, I always know what I’m going to get. But I can’t say the same for biscuits. Indeed, I am quite afraid of grocery store biscuits! They are the worst.
Croissants also have a better shelf life. Freshly made biscuits have a 24-hour lifespan. It doesn’t take long for them to turn into choke turds. And they also require heat reactivation. A cold biscuit makes me want to cry. But not croissants! They aren’t so high maintenance, even though I’m guessing they are more difficult to make.
So because of all these reasons, I think croissants win. What do you think?
Entirely situational. Have I got sausage gravy handy? Then it’s biscuits all the way. Ditto beef stew, fried chicken, or any dish with a sauce worth sopping.
If there is no gravy or such, then a croissant is lovely. Especially the jalapeno ham and cheese croissants turned out by the shop down the street. Torn apart and dipped in mustard is a breakfast to die for.
I’m willing to spend $3-4 on 2 or 3 croissants ten times as often as buying 4 biscuits for the same price. Sometimes I think I really like biscuits. It usually only takes eating 2 to remind me that they’re only okay.
Croissants, with the caveat that there are very few places outside of France or Quebec that makes them right. Most croissants in the US are anything from Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, to something that might have a little bit of crispiness on the outside.
I don’t know about this. I love me an open-faced chicken salad sandwich on a croissant. But chicken salad on a biscuit? That just sounds wrong. I’ve never tried it, mind you. But it sounds like an abomination.
Darn you, monstro,darn yo all to heck for making me think about the bliss that is Popeye’s biscuits. I even agree that the chicken is just a side. Sadly, all the Popeye’s in my area have closed down. I also agree that it can be an iffy proposition. For every mouth watering biscuit there have been dry, hard . . . *entities *that would be better used as door stops.
I do love a croissant but the biscuit is queen.
Weird Wook fact, I detest butter on anything else, i.e. toast, or, god forfend, pancakes. What’s up with that?
Has to be very crisp, very light, and can be flattened using one’s palm into a sheet of useless bread 1/8 inch thick. That’s how crescent bread should be. I like it with lots of almond shavings though.
Which brings me to my favorite breakfast bread when on the road or at the country: a giant almond bear claw.
Sadly for me, I can’t remember ever having a good croissant. I don’t see croissants around here much anyway, but the few times I’ve dared to risk it, they are always just awful.
I lean towards croissants. I find biscuits often need to be slathered in butter/gravy what have you, while croissants more often stand on their own. Clearly, experiences over the years have proven to be very different for different people! I definitely enjoy a beautiful fluffy biscuit, but if I’m in a new place where I haven’t had the food before and have a choice between biscuit or croissant, I’ll likely choose the latter because if it’s cold or old it’s more likely to still be edible IME.
I don’t think I’ve had a GOOD biscuit, and I know (well, from reading here) that they’re out there. I’ve tried making them myself, over and over and over, for years. Shortening, butter, White Lily flour, plain flour, you name it. I gave up! They were all disappointing, common denominator: Me. (but I don’t live in biscuit country, so I dunno.)
Everything the OP says about why croissants are better reminds me of how hard it is to get a good croissant. A three day old croissant from the grocery store is not better than a biscuit because it ages well.
Seriously, the rule is about the same for both biscuits and croissants - if they’ve been out of the oven long enough to stop melting butter, you’ve already lost the magic.
I think I’m going to let biscuits edge out croissants thanks to the magic of drop biscuits. That exterior texture with varying degrees of doneness… Mmmm. Sometimes I wonder why anyone rolls and cuts biscuits.