This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.
Rolls made from a simple, delicious, croissant recipe which takes a fraction of effort required than traditional croissants.
Never in a million years would we have dreamed that, in less than seven year's time, we'd be blessed with five delightful grandchildren! Four of them belong to our daughter, Cait and her husband- the daughter who always dreamed of being "the career woman", living in the big city, having the big job, the thought of a family existing only in the quite distant future and then along came Prince Charming and EVERYTHING changed. And I do mean everything!
So nowadays they're Mom and Dad extraordinaire; with three girls and a baby boy in tow, we lovingly (and laughingly) refer to them as "the herd."
"The herd from London" that is, since that's where they've made their home for the past three years.
Scott and I get super excited when we get the opportunity to spend time with them, so with our "herd" arriving from across the "big pond" tomorrow afternoon, I've had fun planning some special things including these fun French Piggies for the girlies.
Are you wondering why I call them "French"? They don't look particularly sophisticated or debonair like you would expect "French" pigs to look? I must agree, you're quite right, but I do have a very authentic reason for calling them "French". You see they're made from a super simple, super delicious, croissant recipe which takes a fraction of the time and effort required than traditional French croissants. So they're not only cute and fun.... they're flaky, buttery and very delicious, just like the real deal!
I saw the "piggy" idea on a Croatian blog called Coolinarika (the literal translation is Smile - don't you love that?!) I had a hard time deciphering the recipe, so I used my own croissant recipe, but their technique for the cute little pig faces. They turned out fun and perfect for a celebration, especially if you're expecting "a herd". Can you imagine the delight on your guest's faces when they peek under the white napkin in the bread basket and see these guys staring back out?
P.S. See the yummy jam in the photo? It's become a favorite here at The Cafe; a fabulous Ruby Red Grapefruit & Strawberry Marmalade. It's a quick and easy freezer marmalade, fresh and beyond delicious - check back later this week for the recipe!
French Piggy Croissant Rolls
Ingredients:
5 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water,
¼ cup butter, melted
5 cups flour
1 cup cold butter
⅓ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 large egg, beaten
¾ cup whole milk
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon waterDirections:
1. Cut butter into small pieces and spread out on a dinner size plate. Place plate in the freezer while you're doing steps 2 and 3.2. Place warm water in a large bowl. Add yeast and sugar and stir well. Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until foamy and bubbly.3. Add melted butter, 1 cup of flour, sugar and salt and stir to combine. Cover with a kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 30 minutes.
4. Add milk and egg. Stir until smooth.
5. Put remaining 4 cups flour in the bowl of a food processor and add the 1 cup of cold butter. Mix briefly until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Don't over mix, you want small bits of butter to make a flaky dough. Add to yeast mixture and stir until all flour is incorporated but again, don't overmix. Cover and let sit in the fridge for 8 hours (or overnight).
6. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.
7. Punch dough down and divide into two equal sections. Knead one section on a lightly floured surface about 6 times. Roll into a circle,¼ inch thick. With a 3 inch circle cutter, cut as many circles as you can (about 12) and place them 2 inches apart on one of the prepared sheet pans.
8. Using leftover scraps of dough and a small circle cutter about 1 inch in diameter, (I used a turkey baster without the bulb) cut out same number of small circles for the noses.
9. For ears, use a slightly larger cutter (I used the lid of a spice container). about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Cut out half as many of these smaller circles. Cut each of these circles in half, then in quarters.
10. Brush larger circles with egg wash. Place smaller circles on lower center portion of circles for noses. Place two quartered sections on upper sides of circles for ears. Use peppercorns, coriander seeds or other small edible seeds for the eyes and the nostrils. Carefully brush all over with egg wash, trying to keep egg mixture from dripping onto parchment paper. Allow to rise for 20 minutes, uncovered.
11. Bake for 15 -20 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool.
12. Repeat with remaining half of dough.
Shop Our Café Loves
We’ve gathered our favorite kitchen tools, tableware, and entertaining treasures in one place, the Café Loves store. It’s a wonderful spot to find something special for yourself or the cooks and hosts you love!
Hi Chris, I have been wanting to make these for a while, do you think they would freeze well? Would you freeze them before cooking or after?
Hi Malinda, I did freeze these when I made them and they came out great. You can slightly under bake them, then pop them in the oven just before serving to finish them off and serve them warm.
Dear Chris,
my daughters and I baked these sweet little piggies for a celebration in school. They looked so cute and were absolute delicious. The kids squeaked and let their piggies talk. So much fun! Thank you, Chris, for sharing! And again "viele liebe Grüße aus Berlin"!
Es freut mich!!! 🙂
Congratulations on the new baby and I know you are having the time of your life visiting. So funny what God has in store for us "career women"! We are actually in sunny Florida visiting our relatives. Having family for the kids to play with is priceless. I'm sure yours LOVED these piggies. If you say they are easy, I'm willing to give them a go. They kinda remind me of the pig molasses cookies we get from the Mexican bakery around our house. So cute!
Hope you are enjoying your time with family - can't imagine living that far away! I am sure the kids absolutely LOVED these!
These piggies are so cute! I'm sure your "herd" (particularly, the grandkids) will love them. They remind me of Perccy Pig gummies! My neighbors (who used to live in London) gave us some a while back when they traveled home for a bit. So adorable.
Too cute!!! I didn't realize the little pig heads were actually croissants - until I read the post. Love! 🙂
AWWW!
And Mrs. Cafe has flowers in her... whatever. So very cute! Oh my gosh. I wish I had someone to make these for that would appreciate them. 🙂
You did a wonderful job with these! Enjoy the time with your grandkids. 🙂
Your rolls are too sweet Chris! I'm loving this for a fun breakfast idea 😉
What a cute idea. I still have one who is young enough to get a kick out of these. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary
The very catchy name of your blog as well as your lovely comments on other blogs caught my attention a while ago and now that I had a chance to take some time to enjoy a few of your blog posts, I must say that I am totally delighted! What a wonderful blog you have and what a joy it is to visit and I will tell you that as soon as I laid my eyes on these more than cute Piggies, I knew that my four girls and their friends will absolutely adore these French Piggy Croissant Rolls, I will have to bake them, no doubt and I will tell you how they turned out, the recipe looks wonderful!
Thanks for posting such a creative idea and do enjoy the visit from the "Londoners"!
How cute are these? Super cute. It is funny how you think life is going one way and then it changes. For you, now you have 5 beautiful grand kids and I am sure they put a huge smile on your face each time you see them.
This week I'm having guests over and I know the girls would LOVE if I make these for them. Maybe even make the dough tonight and surprise them for breakfast. So adorable!!
You are one of the coolest grandmothers on the planet. These are adorable!
Enjoy your time with the 'herd' 🙂 I am sure they will love these adorable little piggies.
Chris these little piggies are so adorable, what an awesome grandma you are, creating such sweet memories for your little ones.
These are just too adorable! I am imagining the squeals of delight when the herd sees these cuties!
Been meaning to try your freezer marmalade since you first shared a post about it. Looking forward to this recipe. 🙂
Oh goodness these are way too cute to eat lol
Absolutely adorable and super creative piggies. I would love to have one or two even if I am not a kiddie! 🙂
Hi Chris, these piggies look so cute and adorable. I like the Mr & Mrs Cafe, the little flowers on Mrs. Cafe look so pretty.
Have a wonderful day ahead.
oink oink, they made me smile 🙂 so cute!!
These are so much fun for the kids and kids at heart. Enjoy your time with your family aka "herd."
You are so fun. I just love coming here to see what you have made. Do you think this recipe could be halved? I cook in small batches and even if I froze them I would have to go buy a new freezer.
Hope you have fun with your herd, but I know you will.
OMG, these are the cutest things I've seen in a long time! I'd love to make these. They'd definitely strike up conversation.
Oh wow, how adorable and fun! Enjoy your family time!
These piggies look so adorable! Have some fun with your herd, Chris.
They are adorable Chris! I especially like Mr & Mrs Cafe at the end. You must be so excited to have everyone together very soon.
Those are absolutely adorable! They sound really good too. I love that you do such fun foods ideas for your grandchildren. The marmalade looks super too! Enjoy your time with the 'herd' 😉
Chris: Mr. and Mrs. Café are lovely!!!! If my girls would see them, they would smile wide and ask me to make for them.
These are just darling, Chris! I'm sure all the kiddos will love them! And thanks for your recipe. I've always wanted to try making croissants and your recipe seems like a perfect place to start!
I can just imagine the delight when the children see the little piggies. You're an amazing granny!
How cute are these!!!!! What flowers did you use for the last photo??
How cute are these!!!!! What flowers did you use for the last photo??
Perfect for middle of the night parties!
These little cute rolls looks quite good and the marmalade, yummy!!!!!
Chris, these are the cutest croissant piggies i've ever seen. The "herd" will devour them! 🙂
Adorable! Can't wait for the marmalade recipe!
Have a wonderful visit with your herd! How fun. Everyone including the beautiful new Emery all together. What a blessing! The little piggies are so cute and I bet they are flaky and delicious. Have a wonderful week.
Super cute! Bet they be a big hit-enjoy your visit:@)
I LOVE them! I love little piggie and you did such a great job making these croissants! I am loving the Mr & Mrs Café! I don't know if next weekend, I should attempt to make your recipe? My piggies would not turn out cute at all!! Have fun with your family!!
These are so cute! I bet the girls are going to love them!
Oh, FUN! They are the most amazing-looking croissant rolls!
These Piggies are just beyond adorable!! How could I ever eat one? I might hear a loud oink of protest...
What a darling post, you are just so talented in cooking and writing!!
I made your Easter Bundt cake today!! I am in love! I followed your directions ever so carefully and presto it popped out of the oven cooked to perfection and delightful to the taste! May I write a post about it, with linking back to you?
Hope you had a lovely Easter.
Thanks a bunch!!
Jemma
Jemma, I'm so happy your cake turned out so well! I'd be happy for you to do a post about the cake. Thanks for your kind words!