Hi all,

When I lived in germany the croissants tasted different from the
ones in France and the ones you can get here in the UK...

But of course, now I'm home without access to them I can't put my
finger on the difference - the German ones were more crisp...

Can any of you good people shed any light onto why they tasted
different? Is it that the German ones are a totally different type of
baked product? And, mot importantly, can I get German ones in merry old
England?

Many many thanks,

Amy K

wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> When I lived in germany the croissants tasted different from the
> ones in France and the ones you can get here in the UK...
>
> But of course, now I'm home without access to them I can't put my
> finger on the difference - the German ones were more crisp...
>
> Can any of you good people shed any light onto why they tasted
> different? Is it that the German ones are a totally different type of
> baked product? And, mot importantly, can I get German ones in merry old
> England?
>
> Many many thanks,
>
> Amy K
>
The Austrian Kipferl was made of a different dough than is the
American or French croissant. It was more like a roll, much smaller
and thinner, with pointed, crunchy ends. Years ago, you could find
them in New York City because German and Austrian refugees opened
bakeries and pastry shops in the city. That was in the 1930's and
40's and those Kipferln are no longer available, at least not as far
as I know.

There is a Delicatessen Shop in London, that is called Kipferl.
Perhaps you can find out whether they are sold there.

Kipferl
Address: 70 Long Lane, London , EC1A 9EJ
Telephone: 020 7796 2229

gosh, this looks hopeful - I will investigate at the weekend, thanks
:-)

Amy - who's now hungry

Someone who does more baking than me might be able to say nay or yay to
this, I think if it's just the crispness that's different, it is
probably to do with teh fat they use. Butter (as the French and Brits
would use) always gives a 'short' result; that melty, crumbly feel. I
think margarine and maybe some animal fats give a crisper result that
flakes rather than crumbles.

I'm sure someone bake-minded will be able to suggest what fat to try
substituting in a croissant pastry recipe...

t

wrote:

>
> When I lived in germany the croissants tasted different from the
> ones in France and the ones you can get here in the UK...
>
> But of course, now I'm home without access to them I can't put my
> finger on the difference - the German ones were more crisp...
>
> Can any of you good people shed any light onto why they tasted
> different? Is it that the German ones are a totally different type of
> baked product? And, mot importantly, can I get German ones in merry old
> England?

I have been to Europe several times. I found the croissants varied from
place to place within the different countries. On my first trip we had some
great croissants in Paris. When I went back for my second trip was looking
forward to great coffee, baguettes and croissants but was terribly
disappointed in the stuff served at our hotel.

Drongo wrote:
> Someone who does more baking than me might be able to say nay or yay to
> this, I think if it's just the crispness that's different, it is
> probably to do with teh fat they use. Butter (as the French and Brits
> would use) always gives a 'short' result; that melty, crumbly feel. I
> think margarine and maybe some animal fats give a crisper result that
> flakes rather than crumbles.
>
> I'm sure someone bake-minded will be able to suggest what fat to try
> substituting in a croissant pastry recipe...
>
> t
>

Let's ask Bubba Vic. He knows everything or nearly so and may be able
to tell us what kind of dough Viennese Kipferln are made of.

Perhaps he will even find a recipe to go with it. That is assuming
that he will see this post and read it. )