Ham and Cheese Croiss-ain't

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to sample the ham and cheese croissant, as made by our bakery students at VIU.  I was so excited to try it, mostly because I knew that the VIU bakery program owned an industrial sheeter.  This meant that the croissants would be correctly made with flaky layers of tender pastry in each bite. I was mistaken.

I am fairly certain that what the cafeteria labelled as a croissant is actually a dinner roll that is shaped like a croissant.  A good croissant is easily pulled apart, with the layers quite visible.  This is caused by layers of butter pressed into layers of dough by a sheeter. This process of folding the butter-layerd dough into more layers and run through the sheeter again is repeated multiple times to create the perfect croissant, as demonstrated in this video. Making Croissants with a Sheeter. Sadly, I had to use some strength to pull this dough apart.  A good croissant also has a dough with a neutral flavor, whereas the dough that I bit into was quite sweet, like a Hawaiian dinner roll.  As for the ham and cheese, I was expecting something mild, not the stronger flavor of cheddar mixed with Swiss (and while I have never cared for the flavor of Swiss cheese, I won't allow that to influence this review), and I found that the ham was appropriately portioned.  I must admit that the cheese was waxy, but that would have been easily prevented by warming the croissant in the microwave prior to eating.

Am I being too harsh on the bakery students for not making croissants correctly?  After all, they are only students and are doing the best they can with with the equipment available to them on campus, and industrial sheeters are hard to come by.  No, I do not think that I am being too harsh.  The used industrial sheeter sitting in the lower cafeteria with a sign on it saying to not remove it because it is going to a good home indicates to me that VIU recently became the proud possessors of a brand new sheeter.  Why the students are not using their new sheeter to learn the correct method of making croissants, I do not know. However they should be learning this method, and they should be learning how to use a sheeter.

In spite of this disappointment, I would recommend a (warmed) ham and cheese crescent-shaped bun as a flavorful alternative to a sandwich.  Just don’t think of it as a croissant.