Once a French classic, the croissant has evolved into a global trendsetter. The demand for Modern Day Pastries continues to soar, shaped by innovation, evolving customer tastes and the huge impact of social media.
The pastry world is being reshaped by premiumisation and hybrid innovation. Flavours like pistachio, hazelnut and artisan chocolate are driving great demand, appearing as rich fillings or toppings. According to BFP’s suppliers, pastries with these premium fillings have seen rising interest across Turkish, English, Spanish, French and Italian markets, where interest for these types of snacks went up 24% to 61% over the past year. Bakers are also taking to reimagining the traditional structure with cube croissants, wheels, and cruffins that are captivating customers not only for their novelty but for their photogenic quality, designed as much for the feed as for flavour.
Convenience meets conscious consumption.
Convenience plays a role through thaw-and-serve efficient pastries, allowing foodservice providers and supermarkets to sell baked goods but with minimal preparation. Meanwhile, conscious consumption continues to grow vastly, with plant-based and gluten-free croissants catering to health and dietary needs without compromising on taste or experience.
Supermarkets vs Artisan: Two speeds of Innovation.
Supermarket and artisan bakeries operate at different speeds in responding to the pastry trends of today. Supermarkets prioritise accessibility and consistency, offering classics like butter, almond, or standard chocolate-filled croissants that must navigate complex supply chains and production scaling before hitting our shelves. From this, supermarket versions of viral pastries are often late and in standardised forms. Artisan bakeries, meanwhile, serve as creativity hubs, experimenting with hybrids such as cookie dough, brownies, or completely changing the narrative with savoury fillings and transforming them into croissant sandwiches or toasties with meats and cheeses! For example, BFP customers [@b.bakery_london] have used their socials to create the ‘Crunchy and Juicy Toast Croissant’, filled with fillings from bacon, avocado and chicken to pesto and mozzarella. These visually appealing creations helped drive strong customer engagement and demand. Their focus on experience and exclusivity, amplified by social media, gives smaller businesses an edge in creativity and responsiveness.
Supporting the next generation of Viennoiserie creations
BFP continues to evolve its range to support Viennoiserie bakers in staying ahead of the latest trends and developments. Master Martini is dedicated to supporting experts in Viennoiserie as the brand continues to strengthen its commitment of its premium range of indulgent creams. The range is perfect for filling or coating, hot or cold applications, and easily adaptable in texture, flavour, and colour, ideal for modernising and reimagining the croissant scene…go crazy!
This exciting partnership, led by Dan Harrison, BFP’s newly appointed Head of Sales and Marketplace and Becky Webster, Trading Director, has allowed BFP and sister company Crumbs and Miller to proudly introduce the Master Martini range to the UK baking industry. Together, they are empowering bakeries nationwide, elevating offerings with high-quality products. Becky says that it “ticks all the boxes for BFP and our bakers -they are versatile, great-tasting, and easy to work with. They’re perfect for adding creativity and flavour, a great choice for any baker looking to elevate their Viennoiserie and croissant ranges.” This partnership marks another step forward in BFP’s commitment to driving next-generation thinking and quality across the baking industry.
Reinventing the croissant: Innovation in action
Pistachio 'Bun n Roll' Croissant by Marshalls BakehouseSocial Media as the new bakery shop window.
Leading the way in Viennoiserie innovations has involved leveraging social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. This allows establishments to test their products at scale with their audiences while promoting their businesses too.
Social media has created a powerful wave of virality and demand around the modern croissant, sparking global fascination. The photogenic appeal of reimagining the traditional pastry makes it perfectly built for modern feeds. Bakers have taken to premium positioning whereby they know customers will pay more for these ‘Instagram-famous’ pastries, teaching bakers to design for both taste and visual impact in mind.
Rules of Bakery Demand.
In the age of social media, visual appeal has become a powerful currency, and few pastries photograph as beautifully as the croissant. With its delicate layers, glossy finish, and inventive new forms like the cube croissant or cruffin, this classic pastry has found new life online. A single viral post can catapult a croissant from a local bakery shelf to global fame overnight. But it’s not just about aesthetics. The FOMO (the fear of missing out) effect drives much of today’s pastry craze. When viewers scroll past videos of long queues outside bakeries for “the latest croissant trend,” curiosity takes hold. Limited-edition flavours or exclusive launches only intensify the desire to be part of the moment.
Where global trends become local creations.
Bakers have learned to listen to the internet, using social engagement as inspiration and feedback, directly shaping what stays on their menu’s. From pistachio-filled croissants to ‘New York Rolls’ and rainbow-glazed varieties, trends can influence real-world creativity. Global flavours like Japanese Matcha and Italian Tiramisu, have entered the mainstream rapidly - a trend that starts in one boutique bakery can within days be replicated worldwide thanks to the power of social media!
Together, BFP, Crumbs and Miller, and Master Martini are redefining what’s possible in the bakery world, inspiring professionals to blend tradition with modernisation and create pastries that truly stand out.
Some sections of this blog were featured in British Baker’s “Flavour, format, and flair: inside the evolution of modern-day pastries” article.
