Artisanal croissants & egg tart croissants by ex-Shangri La chief baker in Hougang

After I discovered that Butter Bread was helmed by an ex-Shangri La chief baker, I knew I needed to brush up on my pronunciation of a number of well-known French pastries. 

Its hole-in-the-wall takeaway bakery is positioned at The Midtown, a mere five-minutes stroll from Hougang MRT. Walking in by way of the glass doorways of the mall, my nostril confirmed that I used to be in the proper place earlier than my eyes did — I might odor freshly baked buttered bread, and it made my tummy rumble.

“Kwa-son… Pan-oo-shoco-lat…”, I muttered below my breath as I approached the quaint store with its neon yellow signboard.

I used to be glad I brushed up on my pronunciation although, as a result of I discovered that its proprietor, Andrew Loong, was a chief baker at a number of five-star inns, together with Shangri-La Singapore and Carlton Hotel Singapore, earlier than popping out to begin his personal little bakery.

With near a decade’s price of expertise baking for world-class inns, I knew Butter Bread served the true deal.

Fun reality: The identify of the store was impressed by the croissant, attributable to its many skinny layers of dough and butter.

What I attempted at Butter Bread

Butter Bread presents quite a lot of baked items that are freshly baked each day, however its signature merchandise was the Original Croissant (S$4.50), so I knew I needed to attempt that first.

Andrew talked about that they solely use particular AOP butter imported from France, guaranteeing that their croissants have been genuine to the core.

Hearing Andrew lower into the croissant was ASMR-worthy, and I used to be glad I whipped out my cellphone to seize the second. 

Just trying on the attractive cross-section of the croissant was sufficient to win me over, however biting into the croissant tipped the scales fully. 

Incredibly gentle on the within with a crispy and delicate exterior, the croissant was like a pillowed nest of toasted butter. I might style a slight saltiness, which helped to stability out the flavours.

After tons of requests from locals within the space, Butter Bread began providing Ham & Cheese Croissant (S$5), which rapidly turned one in every of their best-selling objects.

Frankly talking, I used to be by no means a fan of ham and cheese pastries as a result of they have been so easy that I might even make them at house. 

However, Butter Bread’s ham & cheese croissants have been a special story altogether. Sandwiched between fluffy layers of buttered bread is a layer of cheddar cheese and honey-baked ham, which added a salty smokiness to every chew. 

This was simply my favorite merchandise out of the entire menu, and it made me want I stayed within the space so I might have it for breakfast each morning. Seriously.

I used to be excited to attempt its Pain Au Chocolat (S$5), as a result of I might already foresee that it was going to be a pleasant crispy mess of flaky pastry and melted chocolate.

Cutting into the ache au chocolat, I used to be barely dissatisfied to seek out that the chocolate was solely positioned on the backside of the pastry. 

However, I discovered that this was the standard solution to make the recipe (as a substitute of the one I’ve come to know of – which is to layer chocolate between the folds of the dough) and that Andrew makes use of two bars of cocoa berry chocolate to make this pastry.

Biting into the ache au chocolat was an absolute delight. I cherished how the creamy chocolate melted along with the gentle pastry. Plus, the chocolate was fruity and tangy, and every mouthful was decadent with out being overly candy.

Next, I attempted its Egg Tart Croissant (S$4).

Andrew shared that this distinctive creation took place as a result of he wished to present his personal spin on the standard egg tart, and determined to mix his signature croissant pastry with it.

While I couldn’t actually style the flakiness of the croissant pastry, I used to be impressed by how gentle the egg tart was. Its texture was easy and delicate, and to some extent, it jogged my memory of beancurd. 

I additionally appreciated the way it wasn’t overly candy, and Andrew mentioned that it was as a result of they don’t use carnation milk within the egg tart, because it tends to skinny and sweeten the egg combination. Instead, they use whipped cream and recent egg yolk, leading to its gentle texture.

The final thing on the menu was its Original Sourdough (S$9).

Impressively, Butter Bread makes use of its personal selfmade levain for the sourdough. In reality, Andrew’s levain has been proofing at house for the previous 20 years! 

“I’ve raised it since I was young,” he joked.

Despite having a tough exterior, the bread itself was extremely gentle and light-weight. The sourdough was tangy and engaging, and it contained a lot savoury flavour by itself that you just don’t really want a variety to go together with it. 

While we tried its unique sourdough, Andrew revealed that Butter Bread releases a restricted sourdough flavour every month. 

Final ideas

Don’t belittle its hole-in-the-wall look, as a result of Butter Bread’s pastries are the true deal. Not solely are they baked freshly by an ex-Shangri La chief baker, they use genuine components akin to particular butter flown in from France and Japanese-grade hojicha powder.

While its costs may not be the most cost effective round, particularly contemplating it’s positioned within the heartlands of Hougang, I’d say that you just’re paying for good high quality and that every bake is definitely worth the worth. If solely it had a dine-in space as effectively…

Expected harm: S$4 – S$10 per pax

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