# Biscuits vs croissants **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 22, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045 "2015-12-22T00:10:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/101 "2015-12-28T01:44:53Z")
I have to say, though I voted croissant, in terms of home baking practicality and range of uses, I can be swayed over to the biscuit side. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/102 "2015-12-28T02:22:09Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > I’ll be right over. I can’t make biscuits, even drop biscuits, to save my life. Come on by! Drop biscuits in a food processor are really really easy. I do something like this: > [@](#): > > -2 cups flour (I’m no flour purist, whatever white flour you have will probably work) > -2 tsp baking powder > -1/2 tsp baking soda > -1/2 tsp salt > > Whirl these together. Add: > -6 Tbsp cold butter that you’ve already sliced into smallish chunks, like a 1/2 tbsp in each chunk > -A good smidgen of herbs if you want, like garlic powder and thyme and oregano and basil, or whatever sounds good to you, I don’t care. > -A good handful of grated cheese if you want, sharp cheddar is fine, but you could try parmesan or whatever you think would be tasty. > > Whirl again. Add: > -1 good cup whole buttermilk. > Whirl again. > > Preheat the oven to 450 F. Plop the gooey mess on a greased baking tray in generous spoonfuls. Bake for 10-12 minutes until they’re turning golden. Eat hot, but honestly they’re pretty decent reheated in the toaster the next day. Done this way (closely adapted from Joy of Cooking), they’re tangy and really light and crusty and super-easy and hot damn. When I make lentil soup, I often make a batch of these to go with it. They take about 15 minutes before they’re oven-ready, and a lot of that is scooping onto the pan or getting out ingredients. Not much like any scone I’ve ever tasted, though. Sure, scones and biscuits are related; sure, there are some things that aren’t clearly in one camp or another. But I’ve never had an herbed cheese buttermilk drop scone before. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/103 "2015-12-28T02:23:51Z")
Goddamn, I want some biscuits now. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/104 "2015-12-28T02:36:03Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > [Fake criossants](https://i.imgur.com/p24EzHt.jpg). Can you imagine biting into a “croissant” and finding puffy white bread inside? It happens. Poseur bread, trying so hard to shed it’s Wonder bread roots but failing miserably. The other croissants laugh at it in the stereotypical French way. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/105 "2015-12-28T02:56:15Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Goddamn, I want some biscuits now. Me too. But we just finished the Christmas morning biscuits this morning, so we’re out :(. Also: fake croissants are awful. So are fake biscuits, but I’d rather eat a fake biscuit than a fake croissant, barely. Bisquick biscuits aren’t as good as homemade, but I grew up with them, so they’ve got nostalgia working for them. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/106 "2015-12-28T07:27:49Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > [Fake criossants](https://i.imgur.com/p24EzHt.jpg). Can you imagine biting into a “croissant” and finding puffy white bread inside? It happens. > > Anyway, biscuits make a better gravy delivery mechanism, and that’s all I care about. That’s what I see being sold as croissants in most grocery store bakeries and fast food. So, honestly maybe I’ve never had a “real” one. Care to post a “real” one? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/107 "2015-12-28T07:34:25Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > That’s what I see being sold as croissants in most grocery store bakeries and fast food. So, honestly maybe I’ve never had a “real” one. Care to post a “real” one? It should have a flaky consistency, with a cross-section that looks [like this](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Croissant,_cross_section.jpg). Basically, it should make a flaky mess if you rip one in half, and not just rip apart like bread. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/108 "2015-12-28T09:06:05Z")
I’m changing my vote. I’ll go with biscuits (more dough for your money.) I just can’t eat it in the morning smothered in white sausage sauce. I’d rather put butter or jam on it, while scarfing through scrambled eggs and pork/venison sausage patties. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/109 "2015-12-28T11:44:34Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > It had nothing to do with your individual tastes and everything to do with how you phrased it. Oh, it was a question of _tone_, sorry, didn’t know the tone police were in town… > [@](#): > > You came off as needlessly dismissive about one of the cornerstones of southern American cuisine Dismissive, sure. _Needlessly_, naah. It is, after all, my opinion. > [@](#): > > , both by implying that they’re nothing but a derivative (they’re related, yes, but have their own distinct history) They can be both derivative and have their own development. No contradiction there > [@](#): > > of your own cuisine Scones aren’t “my own” cuisine. If any bread is, it’s the roti. > [@](#): > > , and also by saying that “bread” already fills that role in your life. For someone whose average week involves the purchase and consumption of no less than 15 distinct types of bread with origins all over the world, this is an odd thing to say. What’s odd about it? Biscuits aren’t distinct enough in taste and texture to fill any gap in my culinary needs. It’s a fairly simple concept, I don’t understand why you have difficulty grasping it: biscuits are a kind of bread, but not a kind I have a need for. I also don’t see a need for Wonderbread in my life - is _that_ equally mystifying? > [@](#): > > It would be like me saying, “Cabbages are just rounded collard greens. That role in my life is already filled - by vegetables.” > > It’s a nonsensical statement. “Vegetables” is far too broad a descriptor, and cabbages are not rounded collard greens despite the two being closely related. Would it have been OK if I said “_other_ breads”? Because that was the intent - I don’t generally think of quick breads as generic “bread”, the way I used it in that initial sentence, even though they technically are. > [@](#): > > Maybe just, I dunno, “I’ve had American biscuits a few times. I prefer scones.” Because I thought a brief explanation for _why_ might be useful. Didn’t know it would set off a jingoistic response. Guess it’s not just the flag thing that sets off Southerners. Good thing I didn’t bring up how much I hate grits… > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Exactly. Since biscuits are significantly more than “just” savoury scones (different texture, different context in cuisine, different ingredient list, different history, etc.), the statement was wrong. It wasn’t at all a statement about taste. That’s nice, that you’re so committed to culinary history and all, but they _taste just like_ savoury scones to me, just the same. History, ingredients lists, “context in cuisine” aren’t going to magically make them _taste_ different. And texture-wise, they _were_ like scones, just less crumbly. But they weren’t breadlike in texture, they were much shorter than that. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/110 "2015-12-28T12:17:11Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Oh, it was a question of _tone_, sorry, didn’t know the tone police were in town…Dismissive, sure. _Needlessly_, naah. It is, after all, my opinion.They can be both derivative and have their own development. No contradiction thereScones aren’t “my own” cuisine. If any bread is, it’s the roti.What’s odd about it? Biscuits aren’t distinct enough in taste and texture to fill any gap in my culinary needs. It’s a fairly simple concept, I don’t understand why you have difficulty grasping it: biscuits are a kind of bread, but not a kind I have a need for. I also don’t see a need for Wonderbread in my life - is _that_ equally mystifying?Would it have been OK if I said “_other_ breads”? Because that was the intent - I don’t generally think of quick breads as generic “bread”, the way I used it in that initial sentence, even though they technically are.Because I thought a brief explanation for _why_ might be useful. > > Didn’t know it would set off a jingoistic response. Guess it’s not just the flag thing that sets off Southerners. Good thing I didn’t bring up how much I hate grits… > That’s nice, that you’re so committed to culinary history and all, but they _taste just like_ savoury scones to me, just the same. History, ingredients lists, “context in cuisine” aren’t going to magically make them _taste_ different. And texture-wise, they _were_ like scones, just less crumbly. But they weren’t breadlike in texture, they were much shorter than that. Dude, did a biscuit kill your father, or something? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/111 "2015-12-28T13:45:12Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Oh, it was a question of _tone_, sorry, didn’t know the tone police were in town. I sincerely appreciate this. The “tone argument” objection has always rubbed me the wrong way, but this perfectly encapsulates how people misuse it as a bludgeon. I’m saving this example next time the “tone argument” comes up to show how easily hijacked it is to excuse one’s own poor behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/112 "2015-12-28T14:29:02Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Would it have been OK if I said “_other_ breads”? Yep. 100% different. Thanks for clarifying. > [@MrDibble](#): > > Good thing I didn’t bring up how much I hate grits… Totally forgivable. Great grits are shockingly difficult to find and bad grits are the devil’s glue. > [@MrDibble](#): > > And texture-wise, they _were_ like scones, just less crumbly. But they weren’t breadlike in texture, they were much shorter than that. I think you haven’t had great biscuits or, at least, you’ve had biscuits much different than the ones I’ve had. Maybe North Carolina biscuits are a lot different than the ones I’ve had. The south is a big place. > [@MrDibble](#): > > Oh, it was a question of _tone_, sorry, didn’t know the tone police were in town. This being the Dope, it’s less like they’re in town and more like we all live in their regional headquarters. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/113 "2015-12-28T15:20:32Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > That’s what I see being sold as croissants in most grocery store bakeries and fast food. So, honestly maybe I’ve never had a “real” one. Care to post a “real” one? Croissants are a puff pastry which have a light, flaky texture (as shown in the link after your question) from the technique in which they are made, which involves alternating very thin layers of dough and solidified butter through a process of folding and rolling out. When it bakes and as the butter melts, you get these air pockets that form between these thin layers of dough and you get a very airy, flaky, and buttery pastry. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/114 "2015-12-29T15:23:45Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Me too. But we just finished the Christmas morning biscuits this morning, so we’re out :(. > > Also: fake croissants are awful. So are fake biscuits, but I’d rather eat a fake biscuit than a fake croissant, barely. Bisquick biscuits aren’t as good as homemade, but I grew up with them, so they’ve got nostalgia working for them. So, like I said earlier in this thread, I got a hankering for biscuits. I decided to make some chicken and biscuits last night. My original plan was to make homemade biscuits, but, for whatever reason, I had a tin of Pillsbury biscuit dough in my fridge that’s been sitting there for a few weeks (still before expiry.) I can’t remember why I even bought it–maybe it was for some kind of quick and easy party finger food, like pigs in a blanket. Whatever it was that came out of the oven, it was not a biscuit. Too sweet, wrong texture (almost muffin-y), weird butter taste. It did the job as stand-in carb when covered in chicken and gravy, but Bisquick is so, so much better if you don’t want to go from scratch. But today I will rectify my error by making biscuits, as my craving has not yet been satisfied. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/115 "2015-12-30T01:02:56Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > So, like I said earlier in this thread, I got a hankering for biscuits. I decided to make some chicken and biscuits last night. My original plan was to make homemade biscuits, but, for whatever reason, I had a tin of Pillsbury biscuit dough in my fridge that’s been sitting there for a few weeks (still before expiry.) I can’t remember why I even bought it–maybe it was for some kind of quick and easy party finger food, like pigs in a blanket. Whatever it was that came out of the oven, it was not a biscuit. Too sweet, wrong texture (almost muffin-y), weird butter taste. It did the job as stand-in carb when covered in chicken and gravy, but Bisquick is so, so much better if you don’t want to go from scratch. But today I will rectify my error by making biscuits, as my craving has not yet been satisfied. Yeah–biscuits in a tube are to biscuits what Twinkies are to eclairs. Nothing wrong with eating a Twinkie if you have a hankerin, but it’s not gonna satisfy an eclair hankerin. Hope your savoury scones turn out well! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/116 "2015-12-30T01:14:32Z")
The biscuits were made a couple hours ago and that scratched the itch! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/117 "2015-12-30T02:06:37Z")
Excellent! ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/118 "2015-12-30T02:20:07Z")
Never mind, 10,000 other posts on the same subject. Note to self: read whole damn thread FIRST. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/119 "2015-12-30T05:57:01Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > It should have a flaky consistency, with a cross-section that looks [like this](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Croissant,_cross_section.jpg). Basically, it should make a flaky mess if you rip one in half, and not just rip apart like bread. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/120 "2015-12-30T05:58:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Croissants are a puff pastry which have a light, flaky texture (as shown in the link after your question) from the technique in which they are made, which involves alternating very thin layers of dough and solidified butter through a process of folding and rolling out. When it bakes and as the butter melts, you get these air pockets that form between these thin layers of dough and you get a very airy, flaky, and buttery pastry. Thanks for explaining the process. That sounds a lot better than the fakes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045.md?page=7)