The Croissant: A Viennese Pastry Turned French

The croissant, a crescent-shaped pastry of flaky, buttery layers, is one of the great icons of French baking. Yet its ancestors are the Austrian kipferl, a crescent-shaped bread or biscuit that has been baked in central Europe for centuries.

A popular story says the crescent honors the defeat of the Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1683, when bakers working at night supposedly heard the Ottomans tunneling and raised the alarm. Historians consider the tale a legend, since there is no reliable evidence for it, and the kipferl seems to be older.

A more solid thread leads to Paris. In 1839, an Austrian officer named August Zang opened a bakery, the Boulangerie Viennoise, in Paris, selling Viennese pastries, including kipferl and milk bread. Parisian bakers imitated the pastries and developed them into viennoiserie. The croissant in its modern form, made from yeasted laminated dough, with butter folded into layers, appears in French recipes in the early twentieth century.

Over the twentieth century, the croissant became a symbol of the French breakfast. In the 1970s, frozen dough allowed supermarkets and cafés to bake them everywhere. In recent years, artisan bakers have revived all-butter croissants, and creations such as the cronut, a croissant-donut hybrid launched by chef Dominique Ansel in New York in 2013, show how the pastry keeps evolving.

The story in more depth

Making a croissant takes patience. Dough is rolled around a block of butter, folded and rolled again several times, creating dozens of thin alternating layers. When baked, water in the butter turns to steam and lifts the dough into airy, crisp layers. The French rules for a “croissant au beurre” require butter, and often the straight shape signals butter, while the curved shape indicates margarine, a common but not universal rule.

Related pastries are known as viennoiseries, a French term for pastries influenced by Vienna. They include pain au chocolat, pain aux raisins and brioche. In Italy, the cornetto is a related breakfast pastry, often filled; in Germany and Austria, kipferl remain popular; and in the United States, croissant sandwiches and bakery chains made the pastry a daily staple.

A timeline

• Before 1800s: Kipferl are baked in Central Europe.
• 1839: August Zang opens a Viennese bakery in Paris.
• Early 1900s: Laminated yeast croissants appear in French recipes.
• 1970s: Frozen dough and bakery chains spread croissants.
• 2013: Dominique Ansel introduces the cronut.
• Today: Artisan croissants are a global trend.

Regional styles and variations

• Croissant au beurre: made with butter, traditionally straight.
• Croissant ordinaire: made with margarine, traditionally curved.
• Pain au chocolat: a laminated pastry with chocolate sticks.
• Almond croissant: filled and topped with almond cream.
• Cornetto: the Italian version, often sweeter.
• Kouign-amann: a Breton buttery pastry.

Buying, tasting and choosing well

A good croissant should be golden, glossy and crisp on the outside, with a honeycomb of airy layers inside and a buttery aroma. When pulled apart, it should not feel greasy or dense. Eat soon after baking, ideally the same morning. Reheat day-old croissants for a few minutes in a hot oven to refresh the crust.

Did you know?

• A croissant may have dozens or hundreds of layers.
• Butter must be kept cool during making.
• Croissants are traditionally eaten for breakfast in France.
• Croissant means “crescent” in French.

Eating it today

The croissant is a masterclass in technique. If you bake at home, practice patience and cool butter, and enjoy the results.

Countries connected to this story

• Austria: where the kipferl originated.
• France: where the croissant was developed and became a national symbol.
• Italy: with its cornetto.
• United States: where croissants and the cronut became bakery sensations.
• Japan: which has a strong bakery culture, with high-quality croissants.

Where to try it

• Du Pain et des Idées (Paris, France): a well-known bakery in the 10th arrondissement.
• Dominique Ansel Bakery (New York, USA): the bakery that created the cronut in 2013.
• Boulangerie Utopie (Paris, France): a bakery popular with croissant lovers.
• Café Central (Vienna, Austria): a coffeehouse where kipferl and Viennese pastries are served.

These are well-known examples, not paid recommendations or rankings, and places change. Check opening times and details before you travel.

Well-known brands

• Président: a French dairy brand known for butter.
• Échiré: a French butter brand with a protected designation of origin.
• Isigny Sainte-Mère: a Normandy dairy cooperative known for butter and cream.
• Grands Moulins de Paris: a French flour miller.

Brands are named as widely known examples of makers, not as endorsements.

Many food origins are disputed. This story summarizes commonly cited accounts as an introduction, not the final word.