Cruffins — laminated dough baked in muffin tins
A cruffin is laminated dough rolled, sliced, and baked in muffin tins. Crisp outside, layered inside, easier than croissants and ready to fill with jam or cream.
Cruffins were invented in Melbourne in 2013 and they are still the best gateway pastry into lamination. Easier than croissants, faster than kouign amann, and the muffin-tin shape gives you a natural cavity to fill with jam, lemon curd, or pastry cream.
Why this works
Cruffin shaping is forgiving. Even uneven slicing produces beautiful pastries because the muffin tin enforces the shape. The vertical spiral layering gives you the classic lamination cross-section, and the dense base means the filling has somewhere to go.
At a glance
- Yield
- 12 cruffins
- Prep
- 45 minutes
- Cook
- 28 minutes
- Total
- PT3D
Ingredients
- Croissant dough
- 1 full batch (yeasted or sourdough)
- Granulated sugar (for rolling)
- 60 g
- Cinnamon (optional)
- 1 tsp
- Jam, curd, or pastry cream (filling)
- About 300 g
- Powdered sugar (dusting)
- 30 g
Equipment
- Rolling pin
- Sharp pizza wheel
- 12-cup muffin tin (standard depth)
- Pastry brush
- Pastry bag (for filling)
Directions
Baker notes
- Lemon curd is the classic cruffin filling. Raspberry jam is the easy crowd-pleaser. Vanilla pastry cream is the bakery default.
- Cruffins do not store well filled. Bake and fill the day of serving.
- If you skip the sugar coating, the layers stay more distinct — looks more like a mini croissant.
FAQ
Can I freeze cruffins?
Yes, unfilled. Freeze after baking, then warm and fill before serving.
Where to go next
Cruffins are the lamination win for someone who is intimidated by croissant shaping. Same dough, easier shape, more flexible flavor options.
Crosodo Blog entries are recipe and craft notes from working cottage bakers. Recipes assume working with an active starter and basic equipment. Cottage food sales are governed by your state's law — see our state directory for legal details.