Seattle’s biggest doughnut? Best savory pastry? Foods critic Tan Vinh ate 100 pastries to identify these favorites

SUSU is arguably the greatest bakery to debut in Seattle in 2020, but it does not require to toot its own horn. Their enthusiasts present lots of pomp and sound outcomes in advance of doorways open, urgent their noses from the window and snapping Instagram pictures although swooning with “oohs and aahs” each time a cake would make it down the runway of the cashier counter.

Chef Rashed, who has worked at a number of Michelin-rated places to eat in France, now operates his own shop, a wander-up window subsequent to an alley in the Chinatown Worldwide District. Their affordable authentic estate is why their pastries price tag a buck more affordable than most of the prime bakeries all over city. When SUSU debuted past spring, proprietors Rashed and Katie Pohl chalked the extended line to the typical excitement that arrives with each and every grand opening. But 8 months into their run, the queue has grown absurdly for a longer period, with lovers lining up in the rain ahead of doorways open up. Their hours are posted as 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays via Sundays, but all their greatest hits market out by midday. Come at 2 p.m. and your consolidation prize is likely a cookie.

Their big Kouign-amann ($4.75), a croissant-like pastry enveloped in a caramelized crust, is a great deal sought-soon after. But you can get a good Kouign-amann at several bakeries with no having to hold out. Their significantly less-sexy lineup is a improved catch: apple-cinnamon pound cake with a dollop of brandy cream, the puck-sized apricot Stilton financier and the pâté à choux with Earl Grey cream for starters.

SUSU’s most underrated baked great, and what it does improved than everyone, are savory scones ($3.85) that control to be moist and a bit crumbly, with funky, bold flavors like a crab-and-curry combo and an additional model with blue cheese and kimchi. They are not to be missed.

The Flour Box

5520 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle theflourboxseattle.com

Baker Vuong helps make the most effective doughnuts in the metropolis ideal now. Her puffy brioche doughnuts have gorgeous honeycomb constructions with this sort of a distinctively wet mouthfeel that they make quite a few other yeast doughnuts flavor dry in comparison. She also does cakes and other baked products, but her doughnuts are the attraction, with fillings ranging from durian to a banana-coconut milk. A fan beloved is when she soups up the traditional vanilla custard filling with a torched crème brûlée ($4) on best of the doughnut, a smoky, sugary sheen to go with a creamy filling with flecks of vanilla beans. Hers rivals the stellar Cointreau Crème Brûlée doughnut at Blue Star in Portland. For now, you can only buy her doughnuts on line setting up at 10 a.m. But you gotta be swift on the draw since her sweets market out within just 5 minutes.

Temple Pastries

2524 S. Jackson St., Seattle templepastries.com

Out of the 100 pastries I’ve sampled close to town, the most unforgettable was in this Central District bakeshop, a savory baked good that is basically a Japanese sesame soba noodle bowl reimagined as a croissant. Powering the display situation, the square-formed croissant appears to be dressed like an all the things-seasoning bagel with the area coated in sea salt and furikake seasoning (the latter a medley of black sesame seeds, bonito flakes and seaweed). To end, this croissant is topped with a squiggly shaving of sweet potato and a shower of sesame oil on the area.

There’s a whole lot heading on in this article, but baker Christina Wooden pulls it off. This pastry still has the flaky, buttery DNA of a croissant albeit tweaked with a nutty, earthy taste from the buckwheat flour. What binds these elements jointly is the top secret ingredient, the Japanese seasoning furikake, which offers this croissant a burst of umami the sweet potato cuts into the salty seasoning, just a great cornucopia of flavors and textures. Now for the bad information. The furikake croissant is not on this week’s menu, but Wooden vows to deliver it again. In the meantime, Temple Pastries’ cronuts and cruffins are also popular on weekends.