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Celebrity chef Bobby Flay is known making for American dishes with Southwestern and Mediterranean twists, such as nachos with shredded Brussels sprouts. He’s not exactly lauded for his baking skills, as Ina Garten or Giada De Laurentiis are, but that’s not to say he doesn’t enjoy a sweet treat every once in awhile. Flay’s favorite chocolate bar is Fran’s coconut gold bars, and when it comes to baked goods, he loves to sink his teeth into morning buns from Tartine Bakery.
Although born and raised a New Yorker, Flay shared incredibly high praise for this California bakery in a recent Instagram post: “If you know me, you know that this is one of my favorite bakeries in the world.” When he stops by the bakery, his go-to order are the morning buns, which are made from croissant dough infused with cinnamon, sugar, and orange zest. Instead of forming into a familiar crescent, the dough is rolled out and shaped into buns with a spiral — think cinnamon rolls with a croissant-like texture. As Flay describes, “They’re caramelized crispy on the outside and buttery smooth on the inside.”
The morning bun recipe sounds undeniably delicious, but it’s also Tartine Bakery’s commitment to quality ingredients that elevates its baked goods and breads. The bakery uses freshly milled flour that contains the germ, oils, and bran to preserve the grain’s full flavor and nutrition.
Buy Tartine Bakery’s morning buns – or make them yourself
If you’re based in California or the capital of South Korea, you’re in luck. Tartine Bakery has three locations in the Bay Area, six in Los Angeles, and three in Seoul. But if you can’t make it to a physical solution, don’t fret; Bobby Flay suggests that you can make them at home. In his Instagram post, he described making the buns following the recipe from “Tartine: A Classic Revisited” cookbook. According to the celebrity chef, another bonus of baking them yourself is that “Your kitchen will smell insanely good.”
If you don’t have the Tartine cookbook, plenty of home bakers have created and shared copycat recipes online. For those eager to replicate the cult favorite buns, know that the base involves making Tartine’s croissant dough recipe (but halving it). The filling is a rich mix of both brown and white sugar, cinnamon, orange zest, and a touch of salt. The buns are baked in a muffin tin that gets dusted with sugar to add the tantalizing, caramelized finish. If you do plan on making the fragrant morning buns, Flay warns, “congratulations… you’ll have a new sweet addiction.”
