croûtes

Croûte is the French term for crust, referring to the outer layer of a material. In culinary contexts it most commonly denotes the hard, browned outer layer formed on bread, pastries, and cheeses, while in geology it denotes the outer shell of the Earth.

In bread, the croûte forms during baking as surface moisture evaporates and sugars and proteins brown through the Maillard reaction. Its thickness and texture vary with dough hydration, fermentation, and oven temperature. A thick, dark crust is often prized for flavor and crunch, whereas a pale crust tends to be softer. In pastry and pies, croûte also refers to the outer dough shell, such as a tart crust (croûte sablée or croûte feuilletée) or a pie baked en croûte, meaning wrapped in pastry.

In cheese production, a croûte, or rind, develops during aging. Edible rind types include bloomy, washed, and natural rinds, while some rinds are removed before eating in certain preparations. The rind can influence aroma, texture, and flavor.

Geologically, the Earth’s croûte is divided into continental crust and oceanic crust. The continental crust is thicker and granitic in composition, while the oceanic crust is thinner and mafic. Both types float on the underlying mantle and interact through plate tectonics, driving processes such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountain building. The study of croûte properties—thickness, composition, and dynamics—helps explain planetary evolution and surface geology.