Croissant

The croissant has been a symbol of gourmet French breakfast for many years, along with coffee or hot chocolate. A distinctive feature of this fragrant bun is the shape in the form of a crescent. Moreover, the basis of the original goodies should consist of puff pastry. But the fillings will vary depending on the personal preferences of the baker.

There are many bakeries and bakeries in the world that specialize in just such weightless delicacies. Professionals still use old recipes, knowing how to make a real dessert with a minimum of ingredients.

But after the second wave of popularity of the original treat, housewives around the world learned how to cook them at home without complicated technological maps. Busy people generally make these products from ready-made dough, stuffing them with store-bought jam or homemade jam, which has a fairly dense structure.

If there is no time at all, then you can simply buy ready-made treats like Chipicao. Products from 7 days are also in demand.

Culinary art

The name of this confectionery is translated as “month”. For the first time, the official term for this dish was recorded back in 1863. And twenty years later, his recipe was included in the content of popular cookbooks. Moreover, at first they preferred to make croissants from yeast dough without a layered structure. It was only at the dawn of the twentieth century that the familiar goodness received the airy structure known today.

Despite the public stereotype that the authorship of pastries belongs to France, this is not true. The pioneers were not French bakers, but their Venetian counterparts. The French themselves are not trying to take away the palm from their colleagues in the culinary workshop, but people who are far from the confectionery art are still captivated by established stereotypes ^[1].

A separate foggy story is connected with why the royal version of the sweet got a rather unusual shape. To this question, the authors have a legend that is associated with Ferdinand I. This Austrian ruler was known for his weakness for sweets, so it is not surprising that confectioneries flourished under him.

One such institution opened in Vienna, where real aces from Spain and Holland were invited to work. But his activities were overshadowed by the attack of the army of the Ottoman Empire, which the locals came out to resist. During the bloody battle, the locals won, and to celebrate such a joyful event, the confectioners decided to release their signature crescent-shaped buns. It was this form that the emblem on the flag of the Turkish military had. ^[2].

Ancient and modern compositions

Today, almost every coffee shop offers croissants with various fillings in addition to drinks. ^[3]. For those who do not want extra calories to significantly affect their figure, they even offer mini-versions, which the Slavs simply call bagels.

Due to the peculiarities of preparing delicious pastries in each region, its composition can vary significantly. But the classics of the genre are usually called dough, which consists of:

• wheat flour of the highest grade;
• water;
• fat of animal origin;
• salts;
• Sahara;
• yeast ^[4].

Since yeast is contraindicated for some people due to the peculiarities of the gastrointestinal tract, enterprising manufacturers have created safer yeast-free variations. The same creators of baking for the mass consumer on an industrial scale do not regret adding various flavor enhancers, stabilizers to extend the shelf life. ^[5]. Most dyes and other chemical additives of synthetic origin, with a cumulative effect, adversely affect the functioning of internal organs. Because of this, many prefer home-made analogues, or purchase products only in private confectioneries with proven products. ^[6].

Against this background, it is extremely problematic to accurately determine the calorie content of the finished product. Options with chocolate or any other filler will be more detrimental to the figure than an “empty” copy. ^[7]. The most popular toppings are:

• berry jams;
• creams;
• nuts with a protein mixture;
• chocolate.

Real sweet tooths will appreciate offers with condensed milk. But those who do not particularly like sweets can try salty solutions, among which the most popular fillings are called:

• ham;
• meat cutting;
• several mixed varieties of cheese.

The average calorie content of the finished product here will be about 400 kcal per 100 grams ^[8].

Emergency culinary help for beginners

Croissants belong to the category of pastry, which is quite difficult to repeat, even if you know exactly how to cook your plan. This applies to those cases when the dough is prepared by hand, and not bought ready-made.

The technology of its creation provides for repeated lifting of the workpiece. After each such layer, it is smeared with butter and folded again. The final stage involves rolling out the semi-finished product. To get a really fragrant bun on the first try, you need not only to know how to make layered layers, but also strictly adhere to the recommended dosage. The ideal option is to use a special kitchen scale.

Chefs treat dough like a living organism, always taking into account the humidity and ambient temperature when cooking. It is enough for ordinary people to simply take only high quality ingredients.

The flour will have to be sifted twice to saturate it with oxygen. To get a crispy structure, you will have to find butter with a fat content of at least 82%. It must be a completely natural product, not margarine or spread. It is important to take into account the structure of the oil, because it will be responsible for the future consistency of the dough.

A step-by-step instruction explaining how to make a real culinary masterpiece involves rolling the dough into a thin layer and coating it with oil only in the center. The edges must remain ungreased. Next, you should adhere to the following approximate scheme:

1. Fold the layer in thirds and pinch the edges.
2. Roll it out again in the shape of a rectangle.
3. Repeat the lubrication and folding process.
4. Send to the refrigerator for “rest”.
5. Divide the resulting mass into halves.
6. Roll out each piece into a circle shape.
7. Cut the workpiece into six triangles.

Further, the matter is limited only by the preferences of the baker and his financial capabilities. Inside you can put a piece of dark chocolate or a spoonful of your favorite jam. You can put sweet cottage cheese with dried apricots, prunes or figs.

At the end of the preparatory stage, the bagel is laid out on a baking sheet, which is pre-lubricated with the remnants of butter, keeping a distance of about a centimeter. Top the dessert with foil and rearrange it in a warm place, waiting for the volume to exceed the original one by about two times.

Then it remains only to grease the croissants with a beaten egg and bake in the oven until golden brown. The resulting result will not be ashamed even to be served in a cafe, not to mention regaling dear guests.

Treat culture

Almost the national dish of France has many variations and special eating traditions. It is customary to serve croissants to the table with coffee, less often with tea.

The most important point in the culture of treats is the freshness of the confectionery. It should only be fresh baked goods. If we are talking about ordering breakfast in an authentic cafe or buying a hotel in a bakery, then it should be taken out of the oven literally in front of the client. In France, some private pastry shops are so famous that people line up outside them before they even open.

If you were thinking about making baking with your own hands, then it is important to adhere to the original technology and follow a few simple secrets of a large kitchen. ^[9]:

• knead the dough slowly and without pressure;
• do not overdo it with the amount of sourdough;
• the ambient temperature in the room should be about 16 degrees;
• thickness when cutting should not exceed 3 mm;
• the workpiece should be infused before being sent to the oven at a temperature of about 25 degrees.

Real pros divide croissants conditionally into two categories: from a bakery and a pastry shop. The last option involves the use of a combi steamer. This is a special oven, which has a powerful ventilation system. With its help, it is possible to obtain a delicate and at the same time crumbly texture of the dough.

Beginners think that Viennese bagels should not crumble, but this is not so. If it crumbles in the hands, this is also bad, but the baked dough should not even resemble a tight spacesuit for the filling.

If the products were bought at a bakery, then you need to rely on more elastic specimens. This division is explained by the fact that bakers use a traditional huge bread machine for sweets. ^[10].

How to cook yourself?

If you do not want to accidentally buy a tasteless dessert that does not justify the money spent, it is better to try to cook a treat yourself. This will require the following ingredients:

• 650 g + 40 g flour;
• 15 dry pressed yeast;
• 50 grams of sugar;
• 4 g salt;
• 300 g butter;
• 2 chicken eggs;
• 200 ml of milk.

Start by sifting the flour twice. Then you need to heat the milk to 35 degrees, crumbling the yeast into it, and ferment for 10 minutes.

After that, it’s time to start languishing the oil, taking 50 grams from a common piece. The eggs are beaten together with salt and sugar, and then the prepared dough is mixed together with the egg mixture and melted butter. Gradually adding flour, knead the dough.

Transfer the workpiece to a bowl and wrap tightly with cling film, putting everything in the refrigerator for about three hours. Make the butter soft, mix with flour, roll out in the shape of a square and refrigerate for one hour.

After the set time has passed, the dough is taken out of the refrigerator, cut in the shape of a cross and stretched into a large square. Next, you need to roll the semi-finished product into a layer, and put cold butter in the middle of the resulting square. Wrapping the edges over the butter, pinch them tightly.

Armed with a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rectangle and cut off the edges. Having folded the workpiece in three layers, it is folded into a bag and sent to the refrigerator for another hour. The procedure is repeated, but only now the dough should be rolled out in a rectangle in one direction in the opposite direction and also folded in three layers. You will have to repeat the previous points four more times, after which the semi-finished product will be cooled all night.

The final rolling is carried out the very next day, requiring considerable effort from the cook, since the layer must turn out to be really thin. The resulting dough is cut into two strips, each of which is 15 centimeters wide. Both strips are cut into triangles, where only one corner should be sharp.

Having cut a triangle from below, the filling is laid out just above the mark. It can be fresh fruits like apricots or peaches, which should not be particularly juicy. They are sprinkled with sugar to give a better taste. You can also cut the ham and sprinkle it with cheese.

After filling the bagel, the bagel is rolled up, bending the ends to repeat the traditional crescent shape. The future addition to tea is laid out on a baking sheet, which is pre-lubricated with butter. Covering the contents with a light towel, you will have to wait about forty minutes. After the time has elapsed, the baking is smeared on top with sweetened milk.

Preheating the oven to 180 degrees, goodies are sent inside for about 25 minutes. As soon as the croissants acquire a pleasant golden color, they can be taken out. Serving provides baking with piping heat.

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