Croissant is buttery flaky viennoiserie pastry named for its well known crescent shape. Croissants and other viennoiserie are made of layered yeast- leavened dough. The dough is layered with butter, rolled and folded several times in succession, then rolled into a sheet, in a technique called laminating. The process results in a layered, flaky texture, similar to a puff pastry.
Everyone is familiar with the croissant as a staple of French cuisine. The word croissant brings to mind a flaky, buttery pastry often served with coffee, or perhaps filled with cheeses or meats in its savory incarnation. It is also commonly served as a breakfast or merienda. Crescent- shaped food breads have been made since the Middle Ages, and crescent- shaped cakes possibly since antiquity.
Croissants have long been staple of French bakeries and patisseries. In the late 1970s, the frozen, pre- formed but unbaked dough made them into fast food which can be freshly baked by unskilled labor. The croissanterie was explicitly a French response to American style fast food, and today 30- 40% of the croissants sold in French bakeries and patisseries are frozen. Today, the croissant remains popular in a continental breakfast.
Uncooked croissant can also be wrapped around any praline, almond paste or chocolate before it is baked or sliced to admit sweet or savory fillings. Indeed, it may be flavored with dried fruit such as sultanas or raisins, or other fruits such as apples.
In France and Spain, croissants are generally sold without filling and eaten without added butter, but sometimes with almond filling. In the United States, sweet fillings or toppings are common, and warm croissants may be filled with ham and cheese or feta cheese and spinach. In the Levant, croissants are sold plain or filled with chocolate, cheese, almonds or zaatar. In Germany, croissants are sometimes filled with Nutella or persipan.
If you are visiting France, croissants can be your choice of cuisine to try.
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