The French have a whole lot to do with the croissant as it is known today. Starting around 1920, they began making the croissant with a laminated-dough similar to puff-pastry and Danish dough. This gave the croissant the flaky layers it is cherished for today. Like the dough, the origin of the croissant is also layered. Is the croissant really French in the first place? No, the original croissant and its shape were developed somewhere else.
The True(ish) Origin of the Croissant
The origin story of the croissant, if it is true, is an interesting one. In case you didn’t already know, croissant means crescent, as in a crescent moon. It just so happens that the Turkish flag bears a crescent shape, and that emblem has decorated the flag for hundreds of years. It also happens that the shape of the croissant was inspired by the Turkish flag. It was not in tribute, however.
In 1683, the Ottoman Turks were laying siege to Vienna, Austria. This had been dragging on for quite a while. To speed up the process, the Turks hatched a bold and clever plan to tunnel under the city fortifications so as to sneak up on the defenders from the rear. Of course, they did this at night, when else? What the Turks didn’t know is that Viennese bakers tended to work in basement kitchens; and they would do so all through the night, as is a baker’s lot.
The Turks, unfortunately, were tunneling within earshot of one of these basement bakeries and the bakers inside could hear the picking and digging noises emanating from the soldiers tunneling efforts. The bakers ran to the city defenders and sounded the alarm. Instead of the Turks sneaking up on the Viennese, it was the other way around. The Turks were defeated.
Later on – a hundred years later, to be precise – these croissants were baked up by Viennese bakers for the Court of Versailles, in celebration of the marriage of Marie-Antoinette, who was an Austrian princess and daughter of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, to King Louis XVI of France. They enjoyed the pastry in the Court of Versailles and it was slowly adopted by Paris and then France.
The Viennese croissant did not really hit it big, however, until the World’s Fair of 1889, where Viennese bakers baked them up again, along with brioches and other yeast leavened breads that became known as Vienna goods.
The “Cake” Connection While Marie Antoinette is credited with introducing the Austrian kipferl to France, she is even more famous for a quote she likely never said: “Let them eat cake.” Interestingly, the “cake” in the original quote was actually brioche—a rich, yeasted bread that shared the same technical lineage as the early croissant. You can find the full investigation into the Law of Brioche and the Marie Antoinette myth here.
The 1920s Technical Pivot: From Bread to Lamination
Paris bakers who began baking the croissants became themselves known as Vienna bakers. They made it the same way until around 1920, then things began to change. While the Viennese kipferl was a heavy, brioche-like bread, Parisian bakers revolutionized the pastry by introducing the technique of Laminated Dough .
By folding high-quality butter into a yeast-leavened dough multiple times, bakers created hundreds of microscopic layers. During the bake, the water in the butter turns to steam, forcing the dough layers apart before the heat sets the structure. This Pâte Feuilletée Levée (yeasted puff pastry) is what transformed the croissant from a historical tribute into a masterpiece of French baking.
This laminated croissant dough was also combined with chocolate to make a flaky version of pain au chocolat. Croissants also began to be filled with sweet filling from fruit, almond cream, or other nuts. Ham and Gruyere cheese is another traditional pairing. In Paris, however, croissant are usually enjoyed plain, for breakfast, along with coffee. Filled croissant are more a way to use leftovers so as to reduce waste.
Lamination Trinity: Croissants, Danish, and Puff Pastry
Since they are all laminated doughs, it can be difficult to tell the difference between croissants, Danish pastries, and puff pastry, especially since they all result in delicious, buttery and flaky breads. However, there are some technical differences that define them.
The Egg Factor (Danish vs. Croissant)
While many people use the terms interchangeably, a Danish is technically a much richer cousin. The addition of eggs in the détrempe (base dough) makes it sturdier and more cake-like. This is a mechanical necessity because Danishes often hold heavy fillings like fruit and cream, which would cause a brittle, egg-less croissant dough to collapse or leak.
Puff Pastry: The Steam Engine
Classic Puff Pastry (pâte feuilletée) contains no yeast. Its massive rise is pure physics: it relies entirely on the Steam Pressure created when the water in those hundreds of butter layers evaporates in a hot oven. Because it has twice as many folds as a croissant, it creates a much denser stack of layers that shatter into crumbs rather than pulling apart like bread.
The “Book” vs. “Letter” Fold
French bakers typically use the Letter Fold (folding the dough like a piece of paper), while Danish technique often uses the Book Fold (edges are folded to meet in the middle). This change in geometry affects the final crumb structure. The letter fold creates the classic, open honeycomb interior that is the hallmark of a technical French croissant.
Laminated Dough Comparison Table
Further Reading
- Something Smells About This Pumpernickel Bread Origin
- Nature’s Penicillin? Why Eating Moldy Bread Won’t Cure an Infection
- Never Eat The Free Bread At Restaurants?