Firebrand Artisan Breads

If you ask someone in the Bay Area where to get a great pretzel, assuming they don't point you at the mall food court (I'm looking at you Auntie Anne's or Wetzel's!), chances are high that they'll mention Firebrand.

Firebrand is bakery located in Oakland, operating since 2008, known for, among other things, the pretzels.

"Firebrand is a mission-driven bakery creating quality jobs through the craft of artisan baking. Come try The Bay’s best damn pastries and wood-fired breads."

Firebrand is a bakery you feel good supporting (particularly after they had a horrible fire a few years ago!).   I've never visited the shop in Oakland, but the business started out as wholesale before opening a storefront, and I was fortunate to work somewhere that offered their goods as part of our morning breakfast lineup, and often featured their products at special events.  I also encountered their baked goods at coffee shops around town, their pretzels on upscale pub menus, and they distribute via Good Eggs (and now, even, are in Whole Foods), so, finding their goods has been relatively easy.

My feelings on Firebrand are mixed - they have a few very, very strong offerings, many "decent" ones, and some that just really weren't good.  When I see the Firebrand name on a menu though, I'll still seek it out!

Pretzels

While Firebrand is a full bakery, offering loaves, pastries, and more, the pretzels seem to be a signature feature of the menu.

Salted Pretzel. $3.25.

"Authentic german style."

This was a very good pretzel.  I see why people rave about these.

Soft, doughy interior.  Crispy "crust".  Excellent salt level.  Slightly strange shape.

Just a simple soft pretzel, but, a very good one. ***+.

Sunflower Seed Pretzel. $3.25.

Firebrand also coats the pretzels with a few other toppings, like sunflower seeds, something I haven't seen done before elsewhere.

It was the same good base pretzel, soft interior, good bite to the exterior, but I wasn't really into the sunflower seeds.  They did add a nice crunch though.  ***.

Herbed Goat Cheese Pretzel Knot. $3.50.

"Firebrand's classic best-seller is the salty, savory pretzel. Here it's been introduced to Cypress Grove goat cheese, herbs, French sea salt and black pepper! The Herbed Goat Cheese Pretzel Knot is a whole new level of deliciousness, ready for you to enjoy at breakfast, lunch, or dinner."

So, I don't like goat cheese.  Ever.  I'm sorry.  I've tried it all, I've had it fresh, I've had it from every producer who tells me, "Even people who don't like goat cheese like my goat cheese".  I've tried to work it into things I love: I've had it in ice cream, I've had it in whipped cream, I just don't like it.

So this goat cheese pretzel knot was unlikely to be something I liked.  But I tried a bite.  As expected, not for me.

The pretzel was great actually, soft inside, chewy crust, plentiful salt, deep flavor.  But the goat cheese?  Yes, it tasted like goat cheese.  I want one filled with gruyere instead.

Such good pretzels though. ***.

Gruyere Pimenton Pretzel Bomb. $4.50.

"A Firebrand favorite, these buttery, chewy pretzels are filled with Austrian Gruyere and topped with Pimenton (Smoked Spanish Paprika) and French sea salt. Why "pretzel bombs"? Well, of course, because they'll blow your mind!"

I remember reading about the pretzel bombs way back when.  I almost ordered them from Good Eggs several times.  I was thrilled to finally get to try one, although it was oddly served at breakfast at my office cafe.

I loved the form, and they had a nice chew and pretzel flavor that Firebrand is known for.  I wasn't really into the pimenton flavor though, and the gruyere was very minimal, just a dot in the center.   It was fine, but, sounded more promising than it was.

I think these would be amazing paired with french onion soup ...

***.

Gruyere Pimenton Ball (2024).  $4.75.

I was underwhelmed with these years ago when I tried them, but they looked dramatically improved (at least on the cheese front) so I gave them another try.

They were much better - the cheese on top was more significant, as was the cheese within.  The pimento flavor was less, which I preferred.  I still wasn't quite sure when I'd want it / how to enjoy it though.  I think warmed and served with french onion soup would be good, or cut open and stuffed with hot dogs or bologna, but otherwise, it still feels a bit like something is missing, at least for me.  But definitely better than previous versions.  ***.

Croissants

Firebrand also makes croissants, both sweet and savory, some ... pretzel-like!  They are a very flaky (messy!) style.  These are found in many coffee shops around town.

 Pretzel Croissant. $3.50.

Firebrand's most unique, and iconic item, besides the pretzels themselves, is the pretzel croissants.

I really want to like these, but, I just don't quite.

The problem is the pastry itself.  It is kinda spongy, oily, and just not very good.  And the top is very dark, burnt tasting almost, but, this is by design, it is supposed to be like a pretzel.  Which almost works, but it just tastes burnt to me usually.  I do love the salt on top though, and this is *almost* great, hence the reason I try it all the time, just to be disappointed.  **+.

Ham & Gruyere Croissant. $4.75.

"Black forest ham, gruyere, fontina, parmesan and whole grain mustard."

Gruyere!

I eagerly grabbed this one, but alas, I never really found the cheese.  Inside was a small slice of crispy, quality ham and flavorful grainy mustard, both of which were good components, but, I was looking for the cheese.  Perhaps that was cheese on top?

The fillings were ok (although seemingly cheeseless), but the pastry was not.  Spongy, oily, not good. **+.

Almond Croissant. $4.75.

"Topped with slivered almonds and powdered sugar."

Almond croissants are fairly polarizing for me.  Or at least, legit almond croissants, done the French patisserie way of double baking a day-old croissant, after slicing it in half, stuffing it with frangipane, and topping it with almonds and sugar.  I'm going to guess that most American bakeries don't actually make almond croissants as a way to re-use their more-than-4-hours-old croissants.

Anyway, almond croissants.  I should love them.  I always *want* to love them.  I like sweet frangipane filling.  I like the crunchy aspect of coating them in powdered sugar and almonds.  Of course I like flaky buttery croissants.  And I'm a big fan of not letting food go to waste.

Yet, nearly every time I eat an almond croissant, even at Boulangerie Julien and Ladurée in Paris, even from SF Darling Tartine, I'm left with a sense of "Hmm, that wasn't great", that I just can't explain.

Which is basically how I felt about this too.

The croissant was decent, fairly laminated, fairly buttery.  It was just the right amount of crispy on the outside, and the sugar/almond crusting was sweet and crunchy.  It was stuffed with about the right amount of frangipane, not too much to overwhelm, not too little that you couldn't tell it was there.  The frangipane was fairly standard, not too sweet.  Basically, everything about it was "fine", but, it wasn't particularly good or noteworthy. ***.

Classic Croissant. $3.50.

"Flakey and buttery."

Next, I moved on to a simple classic croissant, not an item I'm generally very excited about, but, I figured that I couldn't really judge Firebrand unless I tried the plain croissant.

I didn't like it.  The exterior was extremely crispy, too crispy.  The almond croissant was also crazy crispy, but I thought that made sense in the context of a double baked almond croissant.  For a plain croissant, it almost made it seem stale.  Inside, it wasn't flaky and light, rather, it was a bit spongy.

I need to try another, because this was extremely disappointing.  **.

Banana Chocolate Croissant (Seasonal Special). $4.75.

This was fun, but not exactly successful.

A regular croissant, sliced in half, filled with a line of chocolate paste and soft cooked bananas, slightly glazed on top, with a smear of more chocolate paste and slightly caramelized pearl sugar.

The problem here was the croissant.  Firebrand just doesn't make good croissants.  It was oily.  It was a bit spongy.  It wasn't flaky.  It wasn't buttery.  It wasn't well laminated.  The croissant just was not good.

The chocolate paste filling inside was fine, quality dark chocolate blended into a creamy thick paste (I'm not sure what else was in the mix), and I liked it more than just standard bar of chocolate that most places bake into chocolate croissants.  The bananas were soft and went well with the chocolate.

The glaze on the outside of the croissant attributed to it being not crispy, so that was a bit strange, but I did like the chocolate on top.  It was the same as from the filling, except topped with tons of pearl sugar and baked, so it was crispy and sweet.

I enjoyed the chocolate and bananas, and especially the top chocolate, but, overall, this was not good and I would not get another. **+.

Everything Croissant with Cream Cheese and Chorizo. $4.75.

This was massive.  It might be hard to see the size here, but this was a really, really large croissant, in height and in dimension.  I almost didn't take one, particularly as it also looked burnt and dark, but, my curiosity and love of chorizo got the better of me.

I'm glad I tried it.  The outside was coated in unexpected spices.  I tasted caraway, salt, maybe poppyseeds, and more.  They were flavorful and quite tasty, and went well with the flaky exterior.  I'm not sure what made it dark, but, it wasn't burnt.

This was labelled "Chorizo Croissant" at my cafe, but, Firebrand calls it the "Everything Croissant with Cream Cheese and Chorizo", which is a much better description.  The addition of the everything spices was unexpected to me, but really a creative fusion between what you expect on a bagel, and a croissant.  Which gets me to the filling.  ***.

Everything Croissant with Cream Cheese and Chorizo: Inside.

It was a lofty croissant, and the layers were well done, buttery, nicely laminated.  Inside was the chorizo that I was expecting, but, also, cream cheese.  This made a lot of sense with the everything spices, but, again, I wasn't expecting that either.

I didn't love the filling.  The chorizo was chewy and just slices of chorizo.  The cream cheese was a big block in the middle, not very soft, and pretty firm.  A softer whipped cream cheese, or maybe mixed with chopped up chorizo, or mixed with the everything spices would have been more successful.

Still, overall I liked it, as the crispy flaky exterior and spicing were well done. ***.

Chocolate Croissant. $4.75.

"made with Valrhona chocolate."

This was a very large, but not particularly good, croissant.  This is just about 40% of one, so I could show the cross section.

The pastry itself just wasn't flaky, not well laminated, and not crispy on the outside.  Somewhat soft. It did have a buttery taste, but, just not really what I want in a croissant in terms of texture.  The two big batons of dark chocolate were fine, but not really noteworthy.

I wouldn't get again.  **. 

Danishes

Firebrand makes a every changing lineup of danishes, in several form factors, again both sweet and savory.

 

Spring Seasonal: Balsamic Strawberry Rhubarb Danish. $4.75.

A seasonal danish special for May: balsamic strawberry rhubarb!

The danish sadly went the way of the croissants, which makes sense, given that it is likely the same dough.  The dough was oily and spongy, not buttery, not flaky, not laminated.  It was glazed on top in a way that made it even soggier, and tasted vaguely of apricot, although it didn't have apricot listed as an ingredient.

The custard filling inside was good, creme fraiche and egg yolk based, and the strawberries and rhubarb were actually great, soft, sweet, accented with a bit of balsamic vinegar.

I enjoyed the fruit and custard, but, just like the chocolate banana croissant, it was the pastry itself that just let me down.

I do give them points for this one looking great though, and for the balsamic touch. **+.

Spring Seasonal: Blackberry Cream Cheese Danish. $4.75.

The other spring seasonal danish special was blackberry cream cheese, a different style than the balsamic strawberry rhubarb.  It used a folded over pocket instead of the open round, and had a cream cheese base rather than creme fraiche custard.  Like many other Firebrand pastries, it had a generous sprinkling of pearl sugar that crisped up the top.

Like the others, I was again let down by the pastry, it was slightly soggy, not flaky.  The pearl sugar on top didn't help.

I did really like the cream cheese filling though, soft and sweet, basically, like cheesecake.  The blackberries were whole berries, soft from being baked, but, still blackberries, which means seeds, which means I don't like.

So, about in-line with the other pastries.  The dough for the croissant/danish base just ruins these, but I really did like that filling. **+.

Summer Seasonal: Peach Root Beer. $4.75.

Summer brought a transition from strawberries to peaches, and, a peach root beer danish to go with it.

This sounded odd, and certainly worth trying, even though I knew I wouldn't like the pastry.

And, yeah, the pastry wasn't good.  Soggy, spongy, not flaky, not butter, not good.

And in the center, two small chunks of soft peach.  I didn't taste root beer.

Oh well. *.

Black Forest Ham, Mustard, & Gruyere Danish. $4.75

This was truly delicious.

The pastry was extremely flaky, which I loved.  Seriously, pastry perfection, at least for this style of danish.

Inside was a mix of chopped up bits of ham, soft cheese (it said gruyere, but there really seemed to be cream cheese in there too ...) and a little mustard for additional flavor.  Good textures, good flavors.

My favorite of the savories I've tried. ***.

Mini Sweet Cream Danish.

I should have known better.  The danishes/croissants just aren't very good from Firebrand, at least, not when served at my office cafes.  Yet this one looked different, and so loaded with filling, that I gave it a try.

The pastry itself again let me down badly.  So dry. Not flaky.  Not buttery.  Just not fresh tasting or good at all. 

The filling was ok, but had a lot more lemon to it than I care for.  Sorta like cheesecake filling, e.g. sweetened cream cheese.  Overall though, big meh. *+.

Scones $5.00.

For years, Firebrand only made one kind of scone (blueberry vanilla), and a seasonal one that changed, but they recently introduced a chocolate orange version to the regular lineup.

May Seasonal: Pecan Apricot Scone.

The pecan apricot scone were a pleasant surprise.

A very rustic style, not triangles, not round, not square ... very full of rough edges and crags.  They weren't pretty, but they were tasty.  The base had a fantastic tang to it (although it didn't have buttermilk), and plentiful bits of chopped pecans.  It crumbled just right.  A fantastic base.

In the middle-ish was apricot jam, sweet and fruity, and it went nicely with the scone, although apricot and pecan aren't necessarily a combination I would have thought of.  Like many Firebrand pastries, it had generous pearl sugar on top, which added additional sweetness and crunch.

***+.

July Seasonal: Blueberry Vanilla Scone.

July brought blueberries, and thus the apricot pecan scone was swapped out for blueberry vanilla.

It was also a slightly rustic style, a triangle that wasn't quite a triangle, full of crags.  The base was ok, not particularly interesting, I do prefer a buttermilk tang.  It had generous blueberries throughout, but they weren't particularly juicy.  Hard style scone again, very crumbly.

Overall, fine, but not particularly exciting.  Due to the hard, crumbly nature, I found myself wanting some clotted cream or whipped cream alongside.  Which of course I did have on hand. ***.

Raspberry Jam Buckwheat Scone.

Once fresh fruits were out of season, it was time for jam based varieties, such as the raspberry jam topped buckwheat scone.

This was a decent scone.

Again, quite rustic in nature, triangle-ish, jagged.  Good crumb.  The buckwheat made it slightly hearty, but certainly didn't dominate and it did not come across as a "healthy" item.

The jam was good, sweet, gooey, and made it an easy option to grab and go, but I would generally rather slather fresh jam and clotted cream on a scone.

It also had a few juicy raspberries integrated throughout.

A good enough scone overall.  ***+.

Raspberry Buckwheat Scone (December 2019).

It came back the next winter, slightly different style with less jam.

I again found the scone base "fine", slightly hearty, but nothing over the top healthy.  I again liked the fruity gooey jam in the middle, but still wanted more, and some cream with it.  

Chocolate Orange Scone.

I was drawn in by the huge hunks of chocolate, and the pearl sugar on top.

It was an ok scone - not too crumbly, kinda boring flavor (e.g. no buttermilk tang that I like), but did have pretty strong essence of orange, which just isn't my thing.  I did like the crispy sweet top, and the big hunks of chocolate though.

Overall fine, but not my thing. ***.

Blueberry Vanilla (half).

Although I didn't really care for it before, I tried the blueberry vanilla again after several years.  It was again lackluster.

It just had no real base flavor, I really wanted a buttermilk tang or something.  Not really sure where the "vanilla" was.  The blueberries were tiny bits of dried berry, and didn't add a juiciness or much flavor either.  I liked the pearl sugar on top, but the scone itself was soft in a strange way, not crumbly like most American scones, but also not soft like a British scone or biscuit either, it was more like ... a scone that had been stored in a container for a few days? 

Anyway, big meh.  **.

Muffins $4.50.

Firebrand makes 4 kinds of muffins, basically, the classics: bran, blueberry, lemon poppy seed, plus a vegan sweet potato one, and occasional others.

Bran. 

Bran muffins are one of those polarizing baked goods, much like oatmeal raisin cookies.  Those who want chocolate chip have their day ruined by unexpected oatmeal raisin.  Bran muffins, often the losers, except some really love them.

Me?  I *sometimes* love them.  The right texture, heartiness, mix-ins ... and usually a quality butter or jam to slather on, and I might love one.  But the majority?  Dry, boring.

I had hope for this muffin.  It was studded (albeit not consistently) with little currants and seemed loaded with shredded carrots.  It glistened on top.

However ... it was solidly in the "meh" category.  Dry.  No sweetness like honey or molasses to liven it up.  No particular flavor at all really.  Meh.  *.

Blueberry.

Wow.  I'm ... surprised this is a fresh baked Firebrand product.  It tasted, and kinda looked, like it came out of a plastic wrapper.

The top was not crisp as I like, rather it was moist.  The texture of the whole muffin was  rather spongy.  The base flavor was ... processed.  Everything about this seemed like it was plucked from a cellophane wrapper, a mass produced, scary long shelf life kind of product.  At least it did have generous distribution of large juicy berries?

But wow, just, a fake, processed tasting muffin.

*+.

Sweet Potato Flaxseed. Vegan. 

This muffin ... looked sad.  Shrunken into the wrapper, considerably smaller than its non-vegan counterparts.  It looked, from a distance, almost like it might be a chocolate muffin with nibs on top, but, closer inspection revealed it was flax seeds on top, and the dark color was ... who knew.  Not chocolate.  I expected sweet potato to give it a more orange hue.

Anyway, it was actually much better than it looked.  It was a healthy, hearty tasting muffin, reminding me a bit of a bran muffin.  It had very little sweetness, I think only naturally sweetened by the sweet potato, and, besides the flax seeds on top, very little texture.  I did like the crunch they added, but sorta wished for this to be more like a morning glory or carrot muffin, with a bit more interesting bits inside, or, gah, even some raisins.  It was very dense, likely due to its vegan nature, and much of why it looked so sunken.

Anyway, it wasn't bad, and when I'm in the mood for a hearty, healthy, bran-like muffin, I'd get it again.  I suspect it would be good with some cream cheese on it too.

***+.

Orange Spelt.

I was drawn to this muffin by the little bits of pecan I could see on top.  While I shy away from orange flavors generally, I do love pecans, and I do love hearty muffins, so the spelt element did not detract.

I almost liked it.  A reasonably moist, hearty style muffin, not too sweet, nearly healthy tasting.  I liked the crunch from the pecans.  But, it was clearly an orange muffin, and those orange notes were too strong for my taste.  If you like orange, and like you healthy-hearty muffins though, try this.  I think my mother would like it.

**+.

Wheat Free Pumpkin Muffin.

This is an interesting muffin.  I'm still not quite sure how I felt about it.

It was mostly like a lightly spiced pumpkin cake (luckily not too much aggressive nutmeg!), with pleasant warming spices, and mild pumpkin flavor.  It reminded me a bit of Starbuck's pumpkin loaf.  It didn't taste oddly gluten-free, but was kinda oily.  Not greasy, but, dense oily if that makes any sense.  The texture was otherwise fine though.  I liked the bit of streusel/nuts on top, but there wasn't much of it.  I think it would be even better with nuts throughout.

As a muffin I wasn't particularly interested in it (just not my style) but warmed up and topped with blackberries, a scoop of ice cream, and pumpkin whipped cream I enjoyed it.  ***.

Veggie Muffin.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this muffin, labelled as simply, "veggie". It was topped with both black and white sesame seeds.

It was an interesting muffin. I didn't know what to make of it.  I sorta thought it would be like zucchini bread or a carrot muffin, just more intense maybe.  But it had a slew of veggies in it, including bits of bell peppers, and definitely some shredded veggies too.  It had a lot going on.  It was very moist, but also somewhat oily/greasy in an odd way.  It was savory for sure.  I couldn't tell if I actively disliked it, but I didn't particularly like it.

I am not sure where this muffin would make sense in my life.  It was a bit too much to think of like a side bread/roll/biscuit that you'd have with a meal.  It was far to vegetable-forward to make sense as a breakfast item.  It certainly wasn't a dessert.  Maybe something to have on the side with a salad as a light lunch?  I'm really not sure.  It basically just confused me (and why was it so oily?).  **.

Other Pastry

And then there are ... the "others".  And yes, spoiler, I saved the best for last.  In the more decadent morning lineup, Firebrand uses their croissant dough for morning buns and kouign amann, and for the really decadent, a sticky bun made with their pretzel dough, covered in gooey goodness, with plenty of pecans.

Morning Bun. $4.75.

"Made with croissant dough and rolled in cinnamon sugar."

This was my first time having the morning bun, for some reason, my cafe at my office always offers the pecan sticky buns, which, are glorious but far more dessert appropriate.  The morning bun, while still certainly a "treat" felt more appropriate mid-morning with my coffee.

It is a decent morning bun.  Flaky croissant dough, TONS of cinnamon and sugar, slightly caramelized bits, moist inside.  I think I detected a hint of citrus as well.  No Tartine morning bun, for sure, but, good.

***+.

Pretzel Sticky Bun. $4.75.

"This is one of Firebrand's favorite treats!  Our delicious buttery pretzel dough is rolled with butter, Saigon Cinnamon sugar and organic black currants. It is then topped with organic pecans and a dark caramel glaze like no other. These babies are decadent and addictive. Eating with a napkin nearby is recommended!

We use spices from our local Oaktown Spice Shop and brown sugar from Wholesome Sweeteners."

OMG.  That is all I have to say about this.

What do you get when you take Firebrand's fluffy, softy pretzel dough, roll it with layers of butter/cinnamon/sugar/currants, and coat the whole thing in caramel and pecan bits?  Answer: you get sweet and salty magic.

I don't think I've ever had a sticky bun that uses pretzel dough as the base, but, I absolutely loved the sweet and salty combo, and the fluffy dough was a natural match.  As they say, a napkin is recommended as it is sticky and a complete mess to eat, but just licking your fingers after is totally accepting in my book too.

I loved this, and it wasn't nearly as indulgent as it actually sounds, the pretzel aspects made it feel lighter and slightly savory. ****.

Update:
I've had many, many of these over the past few months, as they are available in my cafe at work daily (yes, danger!).  I'm not quite as enamored as I was at the start, although I still really love the pecans and sticky caramel.  I've certainly been known to go near the end of breakfast service, when I know the sticky buns will be gone, and the serving bowl will be filled with all the bits of nuts and caramel that have fallen off.  My favorite part! ****.

However, sometimes they really are burnt.  The nuts in particular are sometimes bitter tasting and actually visibly burnt.  I think some quality control is needed.

Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls. $4.00.

I feel like a broken record at this point, but, the cinnamon rolls went the way of the croissants and danishes, which makes sense, given that they use the same base.

The pastry wasn't flaky, it was oily, it was spongy.  There was just a little cinnamon between the folds.  The icing was cream cheese based, sweet, ok, but not particularly interesting.  ***.

Apple Frangipane Kouign Amann. $4.75.

"Made with caramelized croissant dough."

Kouign amann are a wondrous creation. 

They are crispy on the outside, buttery and sugary, wonderful wonderful things.  One of the best pastries ever.

However, these ... weren't great.  The pastry wasn't as crisp, it wasn't as caramelized, it wasn't as buttery, it wasn't as sugary as it should be.

The frangipane filling was nice though. **+.

Apple Frangipane Kouign Amann #2.

I tried again.  I couldn't give up on the wonder of a kouign amann!

But ... it again wasn't good.

The frangipane inside was really mushy and gritty.  The pastry layers were oily, spongy, and not really flaky nor crisp, except for the very top.  The very, very top was ok, but, generally, it really suffered.  Was it not stored properly perhaps?  Not fresh? **.

Sour Cherry Kouign Amann. $4.75.

Sour Cherry! I love sour cherry.  And the hope of a good kouign amann was still there.

Sadly, this still wasn't it.

The sour cherry filling was good, basically, slightly sour cherry compote, but not particularly more interesting than any jarred variety.

And the pastry.  Sigh.  Just not flaky, buttery, caramelized.  I need to give up on these.  I do.  But ... kouign amann!  It *should* be good!!! **.

Nutella Kouign Amann. $5.

I waited probably 3 years before trying another.  But one day, I couldn't resist.  A kouign amann!  Nutella!

But ... sigh.  The pastry really did just seem a bit spongy, not flaky, not caramelized, not buttery.  Its just not very good.  The glob of Nutella in the middle was, well, Nutella.

Sadness. **.

Cronuts. $4.75.

Firebrand doesn't always offer cronuts in the cafes, but they do for wholesale.  I tried them years ago and really enjoyed them, so I was thrilled to snag one recently.  Flavors change seasonally, they were chocolate hazelnut, strawberry, and vanilla on the day I found them.

Iced Croissant Donut.

Oh, the cronut.  Er, croissant donut.  At least the hype has died down about these, with even places like Dunkin' Donuts offering them, so they are now just a normal thing to offer at breakfast gatherings.

We had these for a special event, and I was thrilled when I heard they came from Firebrand.  I had no idea Firebrand made donuts, or, cronuts for that matter.  I was eager to see how they approached them.

For the event, the croissant donuts were iced with different colors of royal icing, per the host's request.  They were ... very generously iced.  And the icing was quite thick, very, very sweet, and made a mess.  I wish the host hadn't done this to the otherwise perfectly good croissant donuts!

Croissant Donut: Layers.

The donuts themselves were great though.

The layers were nicely laminated, the donuts lofty.  Good croissant component, better than their regular croissants, really.  Flaky, buttery, just right.  Perhaps because not made in such large scale batches?  And they were certainly fried as well, greasy in all the right ways.  They ... did sit heavy in the stomach though.  Particularly if you ate more than one in a day.  I mean, what, who doesn't that?  Gulp.

Some were a bit burnt, but you could tell when you grabbed one if it was too dark, but I'll say that consistency is not a strong point of Firebrand.

Overall, a good croissant donut, but the icing was unfortunate, here you can see what happened when we cut into one, the icing just all came off everywhere.  ***+.

Chocolate Ganache + Pistachio Cronut.

Things got much better with the chocolate dipped cronuts.

Wowzer. This was crazy good.

The same good croissant donut base, flaky, layered, fried, greasy in the right ways, horrible yet delicious, and then, thick, rich, very chocolately ganache.  I loved the ganache, so much better than standard chocolate dipped donut topping.  Little bits of crushed pistachios added a little crunch.

<3 this so much. ****.

Chocolate Hazelnut.

I was drawn to the chocolate hazelnut not because I like Nutella-like flavors - I don't generally, but because I wanted the house made hazelnut brittle on top.

The brittle was great - candied, crispy, exactly what I wanted.  There was very little of it though, just the dusting you see here.

The cronut was well coated with chocolate, I think with a slight hazelnut flavor to it.  It was creamy, and a nice compliment to the rich dough below.

The base was pretty different from the last time I had one.  Before, they were crazy lofty, easily double the height, with beautiful layers.  This was more compressed, the size of a regular donut, just with a bit of a croissant-like aspect to it.  It didn't flake as well, but it did have a reasonably buttery taste, quite rich.

Overall, it was good, but not dramatically great, and I remember liking the other versions more.

****.

Custom Cronuts.

Ah, the Google colored cronuts strike again.

While the concept is fun, I think Firebrand's regular cronuts are considerably better.  However, these were exactly what I remembered from before - lofty and really thick sugar coating.  All colors taste the same.

The texture of these was more soft, like a mediocre croissant, and less fried like a donut.  It was tasty, but, the one I had the week before that wasn't a custom one was considerably better.

***.

Cookies. $4.00.

Firebrand makes 4 kinds of regular cookies: chocolate chip, ginger, oatmeal cranberry pecan, and peanut butter, along with specials like rose pistachio, or vegan double chocolate or sugar cookies.  I find it interesting that only vegans can get classic sugar cookies, or decadent chocolate chocolate ones.  All are large size cookies, which makes sense, given the $3.75 price.  My cafe always cuts them in half.

Ginger Mollasses.

I'm not a cookie person, but this was a good cookie.

It was fairly soft, yet crispy on top from the pearl sugar (yes!).  The flavor was strongly like gingerbread, but it also had large chunks of candied ginger inside (double yes!) which added a ton of flavor and nice chewy bits.

Still a cookie, so not my dessert of choice, but very good.

This is clearly just half a cookie. ***+.

Rose Pistachio.

This was another decently soft cookie, yet crispy on top with pearl sugar (and rose petals?)  I didn't necessarily taste rose in it though.

I did taste pistachio, ground bits were throughout the cookie.

A very fascinating, different cookie, well prepared, just, not necessarily what I like.  ***.

Vegan Double Chocolate.

The vegan double chocolate cookies were quite interesting.  At first glance, they looked almost like cakes, or brownies, just, in a strange form.  This wasn't helped by the fact that my cafe had attempted to cut them in half, and the result was mostly a platter of crumbly rubble.  

The cookies continued to be quite interesting as I bit in.  Clearly a crumbly texture, but also they had a lot of grit to them.  Not a bad thing exactly, much like a stoneground dark chocolate bar, but there was a grit to every bite.   They were soft due to being so puffy, but not cake like, and also crisp, if that makes any sense.  There is a reason they were just hunks of rubble! They were intensely chocolately.

I think I liked them?  But definitely a bit of an odd cookie.  Wonderful to dunk in milk (uh, soy milk if you actually *are* vegan?), or top with whipped cream and sprinkles.

***.

Cakes & Cupcakes

Cakes and cupcakes are not part of Firebrand's normal lineup, but they do make them for wholesale requests, or sometimes, seasonally.  We get the regularly for special events in my office, so I've been able to try several.  The buttercream keeps drawing me back in ... 

Chocolate w/ Chocolate Buttercream. $4.50.

This was ... a cupcake.  It didn't seem better than anything a decent enough home baker could make.  The cake wasn't that moist, the top not crispy, the chocolate flavor not very intense, in neither the cake nor the buttercream.  The buttercream was fluffy though.  ***.

Vanilla w/ Lemon Buttercream. $4.50.

The vanilla cupcake was about the same - not bad, but not particularly good.  Not very moist, no crispy top, no real flavor.  The buttercream was again delightfully fluffy, sweet, but, surprise (!) lemon flavored (I thought it was vanilla with vanilla buttercream).  The lemon caught me off guard, and I wasn't particularly pleased with that, since I don't care for lemon, but if you do, this had some nice zest in it. ***.

Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Frosting (2024). $4.50.

"Vanilla base with vanilla frosting."

I've had Firebrand cakes and cupcakes before, but it had been a while when I had this, a classic vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting.  I believe the logo on edible paper was added by our catering team, not Firebrand, but I'm not certain.

The cake was good, but not quite standard.  The texture was almost like a cornbread, with a bit of texture and more dense than you'd expect in a cupcake or sheet cake.  I liked it, but, definitely not a light and airy cake.  It was sweet but not too sweet.

The frosting was very sweet, fluffy, and quite tasty.  I really liked it.

Overall, a decent cupcake.  Not amazing, and didn't quite fit the mold of a generic cupcake, but, it was good.  ***+.

Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Frosting (2024). $4.50.

"Chocolate base with chocolate frosting."

The chocolate cake was fairly standard generic chocolate cake.  Not particularly moist, but not dry.  Very homogenous, no crispy top.  Reasonable cocoa flavor.  Generic, but fine.

The frosting was very good, light and fluffy, sweet but not cloying.  Light chocolate flavor.  

Overall, this was slightly above average compared to a reasonable generic cupcake, the frosting was the star.  I would have preferred even more frosting to cake, but I think the ratio was fairly appropriate for most.

***.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream.

Yes, this was originally a full size cake, sorry for the slightly-destroyed photo.

The cake was far better than average.  

Two layers of chocolate cake and plenty of frosting both inside and on top.  Basically 1:1 cake to frosting ratio, which I was pleased by, particularly as I really enjoyed the sweet, fluffy frosting.  The cake was fine, decently moist, some chocolate flavor.  Not amazing, not bad, certainly better than grocery store cake, but not better than what a really good home baker would make.  The frosting though I really, really liked, and put together, it was just a very nice cake.

I had way, way too much of it, and of course took all the extra frosting around the edges that no one else claimed!

****.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream.
(September 2022).

A few months later, it was time to celebrate for my own team, and we ordered the same cake I had enjoyed the remnants of before.  Chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream.

This one didn't live up to my memories.  The cake was fairly dry, and it wasn't as intensely chocolatey as I remember.  But really, the dryness was the downfall.  The cake part itself, around grocery store quality, certainly no better, perhaps worse.  

The frosting that I so looked forward to was also less great - it wasn't as fluffy, it wasn't as sweet.  It was a harder style, and tasted mostly like corn syrup and crisco.  

I was pretty let down by this cake, and although I salvaged some by warming it up, and serving with a scoop of chocolate hazelnut ice cream, it wasn't that great on its own.

**+.

Funfetti Cake with Swiss Buttercream.
(October 2022).

The next month, it was time to celebrate again.  This time we had a MASSIVE sheet cake, and went for a real birthday theme: funfetti.  Funfetti cake, sprinkles around the edges, and swiss buttercream.  It was also a three layer deep cake, rather than only two.

This cake was considerably better.

Funfetti Cake with Swiss Buttercream: Layers.

First, we have to talk about the ratio of cake to frosting.  OMG.  Yes, this was basically equal parts.  Which, for me, was perfect.

The cake was dense, moist, loaded with sprinkles.  I'd prefer a more interesting cake base, a touch of tang from buttermilk or something, but it was a good funfetti cake, and the moisture level in particular made it better than average.  ***+ cake.

And then of course, the frosting.  It was quite plain, and sweet, and yes, tasted mostly like corn syrup and Criso (I really don't think it was true swiss buttercream ...), but, it worked. *** frosting. 

When you got a bite of equal part cake and frosting, which, given the construction of the cake was basically every bite, it worked together quite well though.  While the individual components were only slightly above average, together they were much better.  Overall experience of eating it? ***+, approaching ****.

This is cake for people who really like frosting though, beware.

Breads

And finally, the breads, the other main attraction besides the pretzels, given that the business name is Firebrand Artisan *Breads* after all.   They claim to be the "Best Damn Bread in the Bay".  Firebrand makes a number of wood-fired loaves, assorted classic batards (sourdough, whole wheat), baguettes (regular, sourdough, whole wheat, olive), and specialty loaves like walnut wheat, german or sprouted rye, and even a croissant loaf.

Pull Apart Roll.  $8.50/6.

This is a good, classic dinner roll.  Fluffy.  Lovely shine on top.  Some subtle sweetness to it.  A simple dinner roll, no more, no less, but a nice one.

***.

Croissant Pullman Slice. $9/loaf.

Well, huh.  Its amazing to me this was my first time having croissant bread, but, well, I'm glad I tried it!

It doesn't necessarily look all that special - just a slice of bread with a kinda different structure, but the taste is 100% croissant.  It is buttery and rich, and tasted, well, exactly like the inside of a croissant, just no messy flaky exterior to deal with.

The flavor is deep enough that this is actually quite enjoyable just toasted with a little jam, but I think it would make killer breakfast sandwiches, french toast, and bread pudding.

What a unique product!

****.

Banana Walnut.

"Moist, sweet, and nutty — whether for breakfast, or a between-meal snack, this walnut banana bread hits the spot! It's also a great loaf to have out when hosting, so guests can nibble as they please."

While banana bread doesn't generally excite me, I was drawn to this by the streusel topping, and visible caramelized banana slices on top.  

It was, well, banana bread?  Reasonably moist, and kudos for having generous walnut chunks for crunch, but at the end of the day, just banana bread.  Likely best toasted and topped with sweetened cream cheese, but alas, I had it room temp.  The sweet streusel topping I did enjoy, and the actual slices of roast banana on top were unique.

Good, for banana bread?  ***.

Sliced Breads

"Firebrand is now proudly introducing a fresh look at sliced bread.

Never frozen, every loaf is crafted with our signature sourdough starter and power-packed with 100% organic sprouted whole grains, a 25-day shelf life, and hard work. We offer a full-service DSD program, delivering directly to your shelf."

After years in business, Firebrand went very, very mainstream.  Sliced bread.  In the regular bread aisle, in the grocery store.  Available in 6 varieties, all whole wheat based, all loaded with toppings on the outside, which look quite inviting.  The most simple version is the Honey Whole Wheat, but even that includes a seeded exterior.  Unfortunately for me, they all use a sourdough base.  Sigh.  I really wish I could bring myself to tolerate sourdough.

Sprouted 18 Grain & Seeds.

This bread is a powerhouse.  The base contains a slew of grains (yup, 18 of them), so I won't enumerate them all, but all the usual suspects are there.  It is a hearty ground grains base, studded with flaxseeds and ground groats.  I liked the textures and depth of flavor to grain/seed aspect.  

The topping on this one has a bit of everything too: sunflower, pumpkin, flax, and two kinds of sesame seeds along with rolled oats.  I liked those too.

But ... I could taste (and worse, smell!) the sourdough, which just ruins it for me.  I wish they made just one without a sourdough starter ...

**.

Sprouted Rye.

The sprouted rye is more focused: rye berries, rye flour, rye starter, and with just sesame seeds on the outside.  It does have wheat berries in the base (as do all of Firebrand's sliced breads), and a slight sweetness from honey and brown sugar too.

This is my favorite of the Firebrand sliced breads that I've tried.  Yes, it has a bit of sourdough to it that I'd like it not to have, but, toasted with copious amounts of butter, cinnamon, and sugar for breakfast, or slathered with melty nutella, I barely care.

***.