Paris: Croissant Baking Class with Pastry Chef & Takeaway Box

4.96

(131 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing that hit me was the smell — warm butter, flour, something sweet but not too much. We’d just stepped into this tucked-away Paris studio for our croissant baking class and honestly, I was a little nervous about embarrassing myself in front of the chef. But she just smiled and handed me an apron, saying “Don’t worry, everyone’s dough looks weird at first.” I liked her right away.

We started by measuring out flour and yeast, which sounds simple but somehow felt serious under her watchful eye. There was this moment where my dough stuck to my fingers — way more than I expected — and she showed me how to fold it over itself, gentle but firm. The table was cool marble and it made the butter easier to work with (I never realized how much that matters). Someone else in the group tried to pronounce ‘lamination’ in French; we all laughed when our guide corrected us. It felt easy to ask questions, even dumb ones.

While our croissants baked, we sipped coffee and swapped stories — one woman had flown in from Tokyo just for pastry school. The smell coming from the oven actually made my stomach growl out loud (not subtle). When we finally took them out, they were golden and flaking everywhere. I still think about that first bite: crisp outside, soft inside, somehow both rich and light at once. They packed up a box so I could bring some back to my hotel — not sure any survived the walk home.