History of the Croissant: From Viennese Kipferl to Paris

A croissant is the French pastry that shatters at the first bite. The outside is deep gold and crackling, and the inside is a soft, airy honeycomb of buttery layers. It smells of toasted butter and warm yeast, and it leaves flakes all over your plate and shirt.

People love it because it manages to feel both humble and extravagant. It is a breakfast staple across France, yet one that rewards the person who makes it with a real sense of achievement. Fresh from the oven at home, it beats nearly anything from a shop.

Where the croissant comes from

The croissant is listed as French, but its ancestor is Austrian. Most historians trace it to the kipferl, a crescent-shaped yeasted bread roll that appears in written records as early as the 13th century, possibly earlier. A kipferl can be plain or filled with nuts and other fillings, and some people consider rugelach a form of it.

You have probably heard the famous story: Viennese bakers invented the crescent in 1683 to celebrate the defeat of the Ottomans, shaping it after the crescent on the Ottoman flag. It is a good tale, but it is doubted. Crescent-shaped breads were mentioned in texts for centuries before that, and food historian Jim Chevallier points out that the bagel and the kugelhopf are tied to the same 1683 siege story, which makes it look like a convenient legend. Another popular tale has Marie Antoinette bringing the kipferl to France, and it deserves the same skepticism.

What is better documented is a bakery. August Zang, an Austrian entrepreneur who also founded the newspaper Die Presse, went to Paris, probably in 1837, and opened the Boulangerie Viennoise in 1838 or 1839. Viennese-style baking took hold in Paris from there. The modern croissant came later, in the early 20th century, when French bakers swapped the brioche-style dough of the kipferl for a yeast-leavened laminated dough, the one built from layers of dough and butter. That change is what gave the croissant its flake, and it is why the pastry is rightly called French.

How croissants vary

The plain crescent is the classic, but the same dough does a lot of work. Wrap it around a bar of dark chocolate and you have a pain au chocolat. Fill and top it with almond cream and you have an almond croissant, a favorite way to use up pastry that is a day old. Savory versions with ham and Gruyère turn it into a small lunch.

Tradition leans toward restraint: butter, a good bake and not much else. Modern twists run to pistachio, matcha, cream-filled or cruffin-style shapes, and plenty of them are delicious. At home, the biggest choice is simply whether to make it plain and let the butter speak, or to fill it.

When to make croissants

Croissants are a weekend project, and a satisfying one. You will want a slow Saturday, a cool kitchen and a willingness to take your time. The reward arrives on Sunday morning, or at a relaxed Sunday supper where warm croissants share the table with soup or a salad.

They are also an easy way to feed a crowd. A big tray disappears fast at a brunch, a holiday morning or a gathering of friends, and it is the kind of thing guests remember.

The cooler months suit them best, since butter behaves better in a cool kitchen. An October weekend with apples and pears on the counter is ideal: serve the croissants with apple butter or pear preserves. In winter, citrus such as oranges and grapefruit brightens a rich pastry, and in spring, rhubarb and early strawberries make good jam companions.

What to serve with croissants

Café au lait or strong coffee. The bitterness cuts through the butter, and dunking is encouraged.
Good jam and salted butter. Apricot, cherry or raspberry add fruit and a little tartness to a rich, flaky pastry.
Soft scrambled eggs. They turn a croissant into a proper meal without competing with it.
Fresh fruit. Berries in summer, sliced pears or oranges in cooler months, to keep the table feeling light.
A glass of sparkling wine. For a celebratory brunch, the bubbles and acidity are a natural match for buttery dough.

Make croissants at home

The version we cook on Meez comes from Sallysbakingaddiction. When you are ready to bake, get the recipe, or cook it step by step in Cook Mode so you can keep your hands on the dough and your eyes on the screen.

Questions about croissants

Are croissants really French?

Yes and no. The crescent shape comes from the Austrian kipferl, but the modern croissant, made with laminated yeast dough, was developed by French bakers in the early 20th century.

What is the difference between a croissant and a kipferl?

A kipferl is a crescent-shaped yeasted roll, sometimes filled with nuts. A croissant uses a laminated dough of many thin layers of dough and butter, which makes it flakier and lighter.

Did the croissant really start with the 1683 siege of Vienna?

Probably not. Crescent-shaped breads were recorded for centuries before 1683, and historians doubt the story, partly because the same siege is cited in the origin tales of other foods.

What should I serve with croissants?

Coffee, jam, soft scrambled eggs and fresh fruit are the easy choices. For a celebration, add sparkling wine.

Sources

Last reviewed November 8, 2026. Written by the Meez editorial team with Meez Magic, from the sources above.