Giant Neapolitan croissant filled with Nutella
A few years ago, the social trend of giant croissants to create a “wow effect” visually, perfect for sharing with friends, emerged. It consists of a “maxi” version of the classic breakfast croissant.
In fact, even in France, the trend of “croissant géant” (or XXL/XXXL croissants) has caught the attention of great pastry chefs like Philippe Conticini, who created a 1 kg croissant, a unique piece to share at a high cost.
However, the idea of the giant croissant to share is rooted in the culture of the “cornettone” typical of the Naples area (especially in the historic center) where it has long been consumed, in a large format for an XXL-size breakfast, to share with friends and family.
Personally, I find the giant croissant filled with Nutella, ideal to prepare for Carnival and in general at any time of the year, for young people’s parties and gatherings, even as a wow-effect birthday cake! Success is guaranteed, it’s a spectacular dessert that everyone always loves.
With my step-by-step recipe, you’ll achieve a maxi, super soft, fragrant, and delicious croissant, homemade.
It’s a yeasted brioche dough dessert, which can be filled as you prefer, according to your tastes: Nutella, custard, jam, etc.
With the same dough, you can also make normal croissants, instead of the giant croissant.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 12 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
- Region: Campania
- Seasonality: All Seasons, Carnival
Ingredients for the Giant Neapolitan Croissant
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (I use Caputo blue)
- 2 cups Manitoba flour (I use Caputo Oro)
- 5 tbsp butter (soft)
- 7 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 eggs (whole, about 3 + 1 for brushing the surface)
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tbsp fresh yeast
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (bourbon)
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 2 cups Nutella® (for filling)
- star sprinkles (optional for decoration)
Tools for the Giant Neapolitan Croissant
- Kitchen Scale
- Bowls of various sizes
- Stand Mixer Kenwood 1200 W power and double bowl
- Brushes for kitchen, multipurpose
- Spatulas set of 3 pastry spatulas
- Baking Tray extendable and adjustable
Steps for the Giant Neapolitan Croissant
I would like to start by saying that all ingredients should be at room temperature, especially the butter which should be soft “like an ointment”.
The dough for this brioche dough croissant can also be kneaded by hand, but I prefer to use a stand mixer.
Dissolve the crumbled yeast in 1/2 cup of milk, adding a little at a time.
Pour the two flours, the dissolved yeast in milk, 1/3 cup sugar, and the vanilla extract into the bowl of the stand mixer, and knead the dough with the leaf beater for about 5 minutes at medium-high speed.
Then add the soft butter pieces a little at a time, letting each piece be absorbed before adding more, until the dough “grabs” onto the beater and is no longer sticky. It will take about 5 minutes at medium-low speed.
At this point, replace the leaf beater with the hook: add the salt and knead for another 5 minutes at low speed.
You should obtain a smooth and elastic dough that detaches from the sides of the bowl in one piece, all together it should be worked for about 15 minutes, no more otherwise it gets too hot.
Place the dough to rise in a bowl sealed with plastic wrap, in a closed place protected from drafts, for about 3 hours.
After 3 hours, flour the work surface and let the risen dough rest for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin, forming a triangle 1/5 inch thick, 30 inches long, with the widest base being 14 inches.
Begin rolling the triangle tightly onto itself, starting from the widest base, give it the curved shape of a croissant, and place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Let the giant croissant rise covered with a cloth for another 2 hours.
After 2 hours, brush the surface with a beaten egg with a pinch of salt, sprinkle it with star or sugar granules (optional). Bake in a static oven preheated to 340°F for about 20 minutes.
If you see that the surface of the dessert darkens too much, after 10 minutes, cover it with an aluminum foil sheet.
Once cooked, let the giant croissant cool, cut it gently into two parts, place the cut base on a cake plate, spread the Nutella (or your preferred filling) over the entire surface, using a dessert spatula, cover the filling with the top part of the giant croissant.
Serve the giant croissant cut into slices.
Notes and Tips
If you prefer to prepare in advance: you can make the dough for the giant croissant the night before, leave it to rise in the fridge well covered, and in the morning, after shaping it, let it rise again and finally bake it.
The giant croissant can be stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap for about 3 days.
You can also freeze it already cooked, sliced. Once the slices are defrosted, you can heat them in the microwave or air fryer, for a rich breakfast at home.
Shopping Tips !!!
To work the doughs effortlessly, I use my Titanium Chef Patissier XL stand mixer with a 7L illuminated bowl, 1400 W power, integrated scale, and blender, a faithful ally in the kitchen for: kneading, weighing, whipping, cooking, grinding, melting chocolate, pasteurizing eggs.
Finally, I recommend this very convenient and versatile multi-use extendable baking tray, ideal for pizzas, savory pies, cakes, cookies, and focaccias.
You can purchase all the items I recommend above, on Amazon, at a great price, just click directly on the respective links.
