Croissants are one of the most popular pastries, having spread far beyond their French origins. They may seem difficult to make at first, but with the right recipe, you could soon be baking your own delicious treat.
What are croissants?
A croissant is a type of French pastry with a flaky, buttery texture. The name comes from its crescent shape. Crescent-shaped pastries have existed for centuries, most notably the Austrian Kipferl.
In the aftermath of a prominent Viennese bakery opening in Paris in the 1800s, French copycats began to make their own pastries in a similar style. The first official croissant in its present-day form was recorded in 1905.
Modern variants include chocolate or almond-filled versions. You may find them as part of a hotel’s continental breakfast offering, or among the kind of office lunch catering delivered by services such as those at https://www.crumbsdelivered.co.uk/shop/office-lunch-delivery.
How are they made?
The dough used for croissants is similar to that in puff pastry, but it also includes yeast, making it a leavened dough, and sugar for additional sweetness. Other ingredients include flour, fat – usually butter – and salt. The liquid used may be water or milk depending on the recipe. Cool temperatures are very important to making croissants, and the dough will usually be chilled before use.
One of the most important parts of making croissants is a process known as lamination. This is when the dough is folded into many thin layers, with cold butter pressed between them. It is what makes the final product so buttery and flaky.
After lamination, you can cut the dough into triangles to allow you to roll and shape them into the distinctive crescent form. Cover your croissants while they rise, then bake them. You could eat them with butter, jam or another spread of your choice.
They may not be the simplest pastry to make, requiring a certain amount of patience and finesse to fold and create the layers. But if you enjoy croissants, mastering the art of baking them for yourself may be a worthwhile way to spend your time.