The 5 essential characteristics ofa perfect croissant.
I’m not going to lie. Part of the reason I always dreamed of moving to Paris was the food. Croissants in particular. You know the vision : sitting in a Parisian café, sipping a strong espresso and biting in to the most perfect, rich, buttery, flaky, puffed croissant.
15 years ago I moved to Paris and I was not disappointed. The experience of sipping an espresso and biting into buttery croissants is every bit the dream. It also doesn’t get old even after 15 years!
If you’ve been finding yourself having similar, tasty dreams we recommend opening another browser and booking a trip to Paris! When you get here, make sure you begin your hunt for the perfect croissant, armed with our list to help you find it!
Characteristic1
Puffiness.
It should be puffy! A beautiful, perfect croissant is puffy because it is “feuilleté”. This means that the dough has been folded over and over again to create perfect buttery layers with air in between. The perfect croissant is not stiff and lifeless. It is airy, Springy, puffy and full of pizzazz!
Characteristic 2
A lot of butter.
It should contain A LOT OF BUTTER! SO back to the buttery layers… No one ever said that Parisian food would be light on calories. There is no room for skimping on butter when making a croissant. When you go into a Parisian bakery you will be given the option between a “croissant ordinaire” (less butter) or a “croissant au beurre” (buttery croissant). The choice is clear and self-explanatory! Come on, do you want an ordinary croissant or a buttery one?
Characteristic 3
Crumbliness.
Biting into it should result in a mess of crumbs all over your shirt! This is due to the perfectflakiness of the croissant. Again, croissants should be full of life! The layers and all the butterresult in a flaky combination. When you bite into the croissant, it should begin to break apart! Make sure you’re not wearing silk and don’t worry if someone is watching. Just enjoy every perfect croissant bite!
Characteristic 4
A crunchy top.
Characteristic 5
Layers.
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Mile says
Ahahah yes you are right. And I had the pleasure to taste them in Paris and, as bigger pleasure, to make my own homemade croissants 😉
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A Hedgehog in the Kitchen says
Thanks, Mile! Yes, croissants in Paris are sooo good! We have to use ALL of our collective willpower not to eat them every morning! 🙂 We have actually not made them at home yet. We have to try that. I’m sure yours are amazing! Do you have a homemade croissant recipe on your blog?
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