Neighbor Bakehouse

Neighbor Bakehouse is a bakery cafe in the Dogpatch.  I still haven't actually visited the cafe itself, but I've had, and greatly enjoyed, their baked goods before.  They also supply other area coffee shops, like Red Door, where I really enjoyed the Smoked Ham & Gruyere Morning Bun once.

The bakehouse menu is full of temping items, but their croissant dough is certainly one of their signature items, used to make not only standard croissants (that are considered best in the city by many), but also a pistachio blackberry version that folks go pretty crazy for, and several savory ones.

So, without visiting in person, how did I get to try more Neighbor Bakehouse items this time?  A co-worker brought me a treat as a thank you, sending me a note in advance that there would be something amazing waiting for me when I got in.

And amazing it was.

Cinnamon Almond Bostock. $4.50.

She picked the cinnamon almond bostock for me.

If you aren't familiar, I've heard of bostock described as french toast meets an almond croissant.  Which ... I guess kinda is true?  It is usually a thick slice of rich bread, soaked in something sweet, and topped with almond frangipane.

This one was fantastic - well executed, the perfect level of sweetness and great play of textures.  I'd gladly have another.

Cinnamon Almond Bostock: Top View.

The crispy slivered almonds on top added extra crunch, and the powdered sugar extra sweetness, not that either was really necessary.  These were on top of the signature generous almond frangipane layer.

Cinnamon Almond Bostock: Side View.

From the side, you can see the amazingness of the frangipane.  Just look at the almond frangipane coating that dripped down the side.   It was sweet, crunchy from being twice baked, and totally delicious.

The base was a very thick slice of rich yet airy brioche, that has been soaked in something to make it incredibly moist.  The texture was amazing, it stayed soooo soft, even though twice-baked.

If I had to give this a slight criticism, I did note that the edge of the bread itself was a bit burnt, and, I could taste that.

Cinnamon Almond Bostock: Inside View.

Here you can see the inside, how moist and rich and fluffy it was, all at once.  They used a laminated brioche, basically, croissant dough made into a loaf of bread, sliced thick, soaked in something magic, coated with the frangipane.

It was amazing at room temperature, and even better when I warmed some up after lunch.

Pistachio Blackberry Twice-Baked Croissant. $4.95.

Another day, I found Neighbor Bakehouse goods at a nearby cafe, and instantly swooped one up.

One thing I love about Neighbor Bakehouse is the unique flavor combinations in their treats.  And the twice-baked croissant line up is no exception: raspberry violet, raspberry caramel hazelnut, and, their signature, pistachio blackberry.

I'm not a fan of blackberry, but I discovered that La Fromagerie (which, by the way, makes an excellent smoked duck salad!), just 2 blocks from my house, carries Neighbor Bakehouse products, and alas, this is the only twice-baked croissant they offer.  So, I had to try it.

The croissant was huge, and absolutely coated in powdered sugar.  I too, quickly became coated in powdered sugar.  The pastry was flaky, crispy, and quite messy.  Which, again, I too quickly was.  It had the kinda signature almost burnt taste on top of a twice baked croissant, spread with a bit of what I imagine was pistachio frangipane on top.

All fine, good, but not remarkable.

Pistachio Blackberry Twice-Baked Croissant: Inside.

Inside is where I knew to expect the unique aspect of the croissant.  Filled with a fruity blackberry jam and ground pistachio paste.  I expected to taste far more clear pistachio flavor than I did however.  I knew there was a paste with texture, but, I am not sure I could have told you it was pistachio if I didn't know.

The fruity blackberry jam was actually really nice though, which I never expected to hear myself say.

I found the whole thing just "ok" at room temperature, but I liked it considerably more once I warmed it up a bit, and the filling became softer.

I wouldn't get this again however.