7 Facts about Croissants

1

Austria or French?

The kipferl, the origin of croissant, can be dated back to at least the 13th century in Austria. August Zang simplified the Kipferl in 1839 and founded his own bakery in Paris where it was popular and inspired French imitators

2

The French version of the kipferl was named for its crescent (croissant) shape and has become a universally identifiable shape across the world

3

A croissant is classified as a “viennoiserie” in france.

In France, the croissant is part of the category of pastries that the French call “Viennoiserie”, a nod to their origins in Vienna, The term viennoiserie comes from a 20th-century term for supposedly Vienna-style pastries.

4

The croissant, as we know it today, wasn't invented until the early 1900s.

Although the kipferl had firmly taken up residency in France in the 19th century, it was still a far cry from the flakey pastry we know today. The croissant, as we know it, was born in the early 20th century when French pastry chefs replaced the brioche type dough with yeast-leavened puffed pastry (Pâte levée feuilletée) dough and copious amounts of butter.

5

January 30th is National Croissant Day.

6

The Croissant became the French national product in 1920.

7

There are only eight ingredients in a french croissant recipe.

The eight ingredients that go into making a classic French butter croissant (croissant au beurre) are: butter, flour, water, milk, yeast, sugar salt, eggs,