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- Toasting the almond flour enhances its nuttiness, resulting in a deeply flavored almond cream.
- Brushing the brioche with orange juice keeps the bostock moist.
- Spreading a layer of marmalade between the brioche and almond cream gives the bostock a bittersweet citrus flavor.
Most restaurants that serve fresh bread make more bread than they can serve, leaving behind plenty of leftovers. When I cooked professionally, I often went home with a fresh loaf at the end of each night; as a young cook making $15 an hour, it was impossible to turn down free food, and I quickly accumulated a stash of bread in my freezer.
I made a lot of toast, ate a lot of sandwiches, and filled my pantry with croutons and breadcrumbs. But my favorite way to use the loaves was for bostock, a French pastry of sliced bread (typically brioche) slathered with fragrant almond cream, topped with sliced almonds, then baked until puffy and golden brown. It tastes like an almond croissant, but it's much easier to prepare—especially if you already have a jar of store-bought or homemade almond cream on hand. My recipe below includes instructions for making the almond cream from scratch and you can keep it in the fridge for about a week; you can also buy almond cream from specialty grocers or online.) Here’s how to make great bostock at home.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
4 Tips for Making the Very Best Bostock
Toast the nuts for the almond cream. Almond cream, which is often mistaken for frangipane outside of France, is what gives bostock its rich nuttiness. My bostock uses Serious Eats contributor Zola Gregory’s almond cream recipe; to enhance the flavor and aroma of the nuts, Gregory toasts the almond flour before incorporating it into the almond cream, and seasons it generously with almond extract, vanilla extract, and brandy. It’s a simple step that goes a long way, and the resulting almond cream is much more fragrant than one made with untoasted almond flour.
Incorporate some fruit. In my recipe below, I give the pastry a hit of citrus by brushing both sides of the bread with orange juice, which keeps it moist, and spreading a layer of orange marmalade across the bread before topping it with the almond cream. Freshly squeezed orange juice is nice, but if you don’t have any on hand, store-bought juice is just fine. Because marmalade is made with whole oranges—skin and all—the condiment has a nice bittersweet flavor that offsets the sweetness of the almond cream.
Top it with sliced almonds. While bostock is delicious on its own, the pastry is very soft without the topping of sliced almonds. The nuts toast as the bostock bakes and provide a necessary and satisfying crunch and also give the bostock an additional layer of flavor.
Bake until just firm to the touch. At room temperature, raw almond cream is thick and spreadable. As it bakes, the almond cream takes on a cake-like texture. Like many cakes, the almond cream will begin to puff as it bakes. Don’t be fooled by appearances: If it isn’t a light golden brown and just firm to the touch, it isn’t done cooking yet, and needs more time. Though slightly denser than an aerated cake, it should spring back slightly when pressed.
Now that I no longer work in restaurants, I have to buy brioche to make my bostock. It's a very small price to pay for this delicious pastry. Add a cup of coffee and it's a wonderful sweet breakfast or afternoon treat.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
This Easy French Pastry Tastes Just Like an Almond Croissant—and Takes Way Less Time to Make
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For the Almond Cream:
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8 ounces blanched or natural almond flour (226 g; 2 cups), see notes
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6 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature (170 g; 12 tablespoons)
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7 ounces granulated sugar (200 g; 1 cup)
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1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest from 2 medium oranges
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1 ounce all-purpose flour (32 g; 1/4 cup)
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2 large eggs, room temperature
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2 tablespoons (30 ml) brandy or dark rum, optional
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1 tablespoon (15 ml) almond extract
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1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
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1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
To Assemble:
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Eight (1/2-inch thick) slices brioche, homemade or store-bought
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1/2 cup (60 ml) orange juice from 2 medium oranges
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1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1/2 cup orange marmalade, divided
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Almond cream, see above
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2 ounces sliced almonds (57 g; 1/2 cup
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Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Add almond flour to a parchment-lined 13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet and spread into a thin, even layer. Toast in oven, stirring every 3 minutes, until the almond flour is fragrant and light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, and orange zest, if using, on low speed to roughly incorporate. Increase to medium-high speed and beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes, pausing to scrape down bowl and beater with a flexible spatula as needed. Add almond flour, all-purpose flour, egg, brandy (if using), almond extract, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix on medium-high speed until smooth, thick, and creamy, pausing to scrape down bowl and beater halfway through, about 2 minutes. Using a flexible spatula, scrape bowl and beater to ensure that no streaks of unmixed butter remain. (Almond cream can also be prepared in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer.)
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
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Arrange brioche slices on a 13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. In a small bowl, whisk orange juice and vanilla extract to combine. Brush both sides of 1 slice of brioche with orange juice mixture. Using an offset spatula, spread 1 tablespoon orange marmalade evenly across brioche. Top with about 3 tablespoons almond cream, spreading evenly from side to side to cover bread. Garnish with sliced almonds. Repeat with remaining brioche slices.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
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Bake until almond cream is a light golden brown and just firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature and dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Special Equipment
13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet, stand mixer or hand mixer, pastry brush, offset spatula
Notes
Almond cream can be found in specialty grocery stores and online.
Blanched almond flour is a solid beige color whereas natural almond flour appears speckled. Either variety will work well in this recipe; it all comes down to personal preference.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Almond cream can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Bostock is best eaten on the day it’s made, but cooled leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Leftover bostock may become soggy; to refresh, reheat in a 325°F (160°C) oven until warmed through.
