Read at 3 different speeds

Croissant cereal draws New Yorkers - 3rd March 2023

On a street in Brooklyn Heights, New York, eager customers have been waiting in line since dawn outside this French bakery for a brand-new delicacy – croissant cereal.

Alyssa Ryncarz: "We got here at 5:45 in the morning in our car and the line outside started forming at 6:30 so we've been out here for over an hour."

How on earth have these diminutive crispy crescents created such a stir, leading customers to queue patiently for hours in the half-light and bitter cold?

Gautier Coiffard is the baker behind L'Appartement 4F bakery.

Gautier Coiffard: "So the cereal croissants are basically the same dough that we have for our croissants so it takes two or three days to make the croissant dough. It's rolled out like a classic croissant and then we flatten it very thinly. We roll the mini croissants one by one so, it takes hours. Then we bake them, we add sugar, and then we dehydrate them. So it's about two days on top of a classic croissant."

Prepared afresh on a daily basis, these intricate pastries are time-consuming to produce but demand exceeds supply, so there's inevitably a knock-on effect on price. Since one packet's a whopping $50, do they genuinely justify the exorbitant cost?

Kat Sandoval: "The price is a little high but it’s it’s unique, you can't really get it anywhere else, so."

Having left his mother country France in 2012, Coiffard relocated to New York, where he met his long-term partner, Ashley. The one thing he craved was artisan bread, and to satisfy this need, he took to making loaves in the kitchen of their Brooklyn apartment. The pandemic saw him expand production, baking initially for loved ones and later, prompted by Ashley, for strangers too, at which point L'Appartement 4F was born.

Whilst their authentic French fare's proving popular with French and American shoppers, their novelty cereal has met with mixed reviews, though as supplies are somewhat restricted, that may be a blessing in disguise.

However for now, whatever treat their customers desire, this bakery appears to be doing a roaring trade.

Kabir Zafar: "About an hour and a half we've been waiting here."

Kabir Zafar: "I'm here today because I've heard they have really good croissants."