Croissant - A "French" Breakfast
Thinking of French breakfast food, the first thing cross my mind is croissant. As a person who has no exact connection to the French culture, croissant - the buttery, flaky, crescent shaped pastry- is one of my impression of France...until when I figured out that croissant is not actually French recently.
Don't be surprised, but Croissant is indeed an Austrian pastry. According to Larousse Gastronomique, an encyclopedia of gastronomy, and Oxford Companion of Food, Croissant was not invented in France, but in Vienna, Austria in 1683. Around that time, the Turkish troop was invading Europe and besieging Austria. One day at dawn, the Turkish soldiers dug tunnels to invade Vienna. They waited for the city to go to sleep to start their attempt. However, they forgot that bakers needed to work through the night to prepare fresh dough for bread-making. "Bakers, working during the night, heard the noise made by the Turks and gave them alarm." as described in Larousse Gastronomique. The defence troop blown up the tunnel and the city was saved. |
To celebrate the victory, Viennese bakers made crescent-shaped pastries commemorating the incident. Crescent is a symbol of Islam, and is shown on the Turkish flag. In 1830s, August Zang, a Viennese baker, opened his bakery in France, and brought Viennosierie, now known as croissant, to the French. The pastry immediately popularized and became an important food item in France.
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The French love bread and they most certainly love croissants. Although breakfast is very light in France, some crusty warm Viennosierie and steaming coffee with milk is crucial to start the day, and white flour breads are more preferred comparing to healthier whole-wheat.
The most complicated process of making croissant is making the dough - it requires a lot of experience and 4 hours waiting! Due to the high complexity of French breads, most homemakers do not bake their own bread. I mean, who would wake up four hours earlier to make his/her own croissant when a bakery is easily found right around the corner? And for the exact same reason, I did not bother waking up at mid night to make croissants from scratch this time either.
But I desperately want to make my own croissant! With the help of the advanced refrigerated food industry of the 21st century, I made my own croissant with pre-prepared dough in 20 mins! Here comes the recipe and direction:
The most complicated process of making croissant is making the dough - it requires a lot of experience and 4 hours waiting! Due to the high complexity of French breads, most homemakers do not bake their own bread. I mean, who would wake up four hours earlier to make his/her own croissant when a bakery is easily found right around the corner? And for the exact same reason, I did not bother waking up at mid night to make croissants from scratch this time either.
But I desperately want to make my own croissant! With the help of the advanced refrigerated food industry of the 21st century, I made my own croissant with pre-prepared dough in 20 mins! Here comes the recipe and direction:
Recipe (Simple)For beginners and the ones who are too lazy to make the dough (like me):- 1 Pillsbury Crescents Original for making 8 small croissants
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Recipe (Advanced)For the more advanced bakers and the ones who seek challenge - make your own dough! Here is Julia Child's Recipe of dough making for croissants:
1 ounce fresh yeast 3 1/2 cups flour, unbleached all purpose+ 1/3 cup Sugar 2 teaspoons Salt 1 cup Milk +/- FOR THE BUTTER 4 1/2 stick unsalted butter-1 lb 2 oz -- cold-cut into 1/2 in 2 tablespoons flour, unbleached all purpose CROISSANTS 1 recipe-croissant dough -- well chilled Flour -- for rolling dough 1 large egg |
Direction
You mainly just need to follow what
it says on the Pillisbury Crescents box. It is very explanatory.
it says on the Pillisbury Crescents box. It is very explanatory.
There you go, homemade croissant!
Suggested Beverage and Side Dishes
A small cup of coffee with milk is usually served with croissant. Remember, a small cup, not a Starbucks Grande!
Children are allowed to have hot chocolate at breakfast, and most adults have coffee.
To make the breakfast more balanced, the modern French people also have some fruit jam or chopped fruit for breakfast.
Children are allowed to have hot chocolate at breakfast, and most adults have coffee.
To make the breakfast more balanced, the modern French people also have some fruit jam or chopped fruit for breakfast.
If you want to make croissant from scratch...
With the recipe provided for more advanced croissant making, you can make yours from scratch! The direction is extremely long, so I think this 30 mins video of Julia Child making the croissant will help you understand better: Here comes the video:
Part 1
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Part 2
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Part 3
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Sources used
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5B4c50ZkmY History of Croissant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU1HBpFIGKs Julia Child Croissant making
Barer-Stein, Thelma. "France - Meal Patterns and Eating Customs." You Eat What You Are. Toronto: Culture Concepts, 1991. 215-17. Print.
Barer-Stein, Thelma. "France - Breads and Cereals." You Eat What You Are. Toronto: Culture Concepts, 1991. 208. Print.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU1HBpFIGKs Julia Child Croissant making
Barer-Stein, Thelma. "France - Meal Patterns and Eating Customs." You Eat What You Are. Toronto: Culture Concepts, 1991. 215-17. Print.
Barer-Stein, Thelma. "France - Breads and Cereals." You Eat What You Are. Toronto: Culture Concepts, 1991. 208. Print.