00:00 One serving of French clichés, s'il vous plaît.
00:04 The Eiffel Tower, of course.
00:06 The baguette, for sure.
00:08 And the croissant, one of the best-loved pastries in all of France.
00:13 Croissant means crescent, even though not all croissants are curved these days.
00:18 But more on its shape later.
00:20 First, how exactly do you bake the perfect croissant?
00:24 That's a question for Adrien Auzanneau.
00:29 In the Paris suburb of Epinay-sur-Orge, people line up for his croissants.
00:34 In 2021, he was officially named France's best croissant baker in a national competition.
00:42 When I heard that I'd won, I was pleased, but also stressed.
00:49 And I didn't even yet know that instead of 300 croissants a day, I would end up having to make 1,200.
00:56 His prize-winning croissants are made of two different kinds of flour.
01:00 Butter, sugar, yeast, milk with a little cream, water and salt.
01:08 What's very important are high-quality ingredients in the right amounts.
01:14 And my own tip, a bit of honey.
01:17 The dough has to be thoroughly kneaded.
01:23 Otherwise, the ingredients won't blend properly and the croissants won't rise as they should.
01:27 Next, he rolls out the dough and lets it set.
01:34 Then comes the decisive moment.
01:40 He works a thick layer of butter into the dough.
01:43 Most French people regard the butter croissant, not the normal one, as the true croissant.
01:51 A normal croissant is made with margarine, but I don't like the taste.
01:54 For a really good croissant, you need very good butter.
01:58 Adrien wraps a generously thick pad of butter into the dough.
02:04 My tip? I cut the dough along the butter's edge, so the butter and dough are evenly layered over each other.
02:15 What makes croissant dough especially flaky is a process called laminating.
02:19 The dough is rolled out with the butter and folded again and again.
02:23 The chef has to let the dough rest and rise periodically.
02:27 You can see the layers of butter.
02:34 Then Adrien cuts the dough into the ideal size.
02:40 This is a cross-section of a croissant in the shape of a triangle.
02:44 You tug on this triangle and roll it up into a crescent.
02:53 The croissants by this master pastry chef are very delicate.
03:01 They are very delicate, but they are also very delicate.
03:05 The croissants by this master pastry maker not only have to taste good, they have to look good as well.
03:13 I spray my croissants twice with an egg mixture, once before they rise and once before they bake.
03:22 That way they won't dry out and they look nice.
03:25 They shine even more.
03:28 Now they're done.
03:35 Without a doubt, good croissants take time.
03:38 Altogether, almost nine hours from start to finish.
03:42 But to Adrien, they're well worth it.
03:46 If you don't take enough time for the preparation, the croissants don't turn out well.
03:53 A good croissant takes time.
03:55 Only then can it develop its full flavor, and it keeps longer as well.
04:00 When croissants are produced industrially, it has to go quickly, and you notice the difference.
04:05 They're not likely to be as good or look as nice either.
04:09 In France, a butter croissant generally goes for between 1 euro and 1 euro 20.
04:16 It weighs 50 grams and packs 250 calories,
04:20 which may explain why most French people don't indulge in them every day.
04:24 And they prefer French-made croissants.
04:28 No doubt whatsoever, the French make the best croissants.
04:31 That comes from all the experience, the good ingredients,
04:34 and the very special method that only the French have mastered so well.
04:39 Bon appétit!
04:43 (upbeat music)
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