Contact us on WhatsApp: +33 6 95 73 52 90

Must-try French viennoiseries when visiting France

By Aline
Reading Time: 3 minutes
French viennoiseries

From the iconic croissant to unique regional delights, French viennoiseries are a delicious celebration of tradition and craftsmanship. In this article, we’ll explore the rich world of French viennoiseries and the must-try options when visiting France.

What Are French Viennoiseries

French viennoiseries are pastries that blur the line between bread and patisserie, made from yeasted dough enriched with butter, eggs, and other flavorful ingredients. Viennoiseries typically involve a labor-intensive process, especially when laminated dough is used to create the light, flaky layers that define favorites like croissants and pain au chocolat.

Croissant

No discussion of French viennoiseries would be complete without mentioning the croissant. This crescent-shaped pastry is known for its buttery, flaky layers and is enjoyed as a breakfast staple across France.

Pain au Chocolat

For those with a sweet tooth, pain au chocolat offers the perfect combination of laminated dough and rich chocolate. This rectangular pastry is filled with two sticks of dark chocolate and is a popular choice for breakfast or a mid-morning snack.

Pain aux Raisins

The pain aux raisins is another French classic, featuring a spiral of laminated dough filled with custard and dotted with plump raisins. This pastry offers a delightful contrast between the creamy custard and the chewy raisins, making it an ideal choice for those looking for something different from chocolate-based viennoiseries.

Brioche

Although it differs slightly in texture, brioche falls under the category of viennoiseries due to its enriched dough. Made with plenty of butter and eggs, brioche is soft, slightly sweet, and wonderfully rich. It can be enjoyed plain or topped with sugar crystals.

French viennoiseries

Common Ingredients to All Viennoiseries

The key ingredients that make French viennoiseries so irresistible are:

  • Butter: The richness and flakiness of most viennoiseries come from high-quality French butter, which gives the pastries their unmistakable taste.
  • Yeast: Viennoiseries are made with yeasted dough, which gives them a slightly airy texture compared to regular bread.
  • Eggs: Eggs are used to enrich the dough, adding moisture, color, and a tender crumb.
  • Milk: The dough often includes milk, contributing to its softness and richness.

One of the defining techniques in making viennoiseries is lamination. This involves folding butter into the dough multiple times to create thin, alternating layers of butter and dough. As the pastry bakes, the butter melts, causing the layers to puff up and creating the signature flaky texture.

Local Variations

While croissants and pain au chocolat are found throughout France, some regions have their own special versions of viennoiseries:

  • Kouign-amann (Brittany): A caramelized, buttery pastry made with laminated dough and sugar, resulting in a crisp and sweet treat.
  • Pain Suisse (Various Regions): This soft pastry is filled with vanilla custard and chocolate chips, offering a sweet alternative to classic viennoiseries.
  • Brioche Feuilletée (Vendée): A flaky, layered brioche that combines the richness of butter with the light texture of laminated dough.

Check out our blog to learn more about French regional food: https://gogofrance.com/en/blog/category/fooddrink/

French viennoiseries

When Do French People Eat Viennoiseries

In France, viennoiseries are most commonly enjoyed during breakfast or as a mid-morning snack. On weekends, it’s typical for French families to visit their local bakery in the morning to pick up fresh pastries, which are often served with coffee or tea. Many French people also grab a viennoiserie as an on-the-go snack to enjoy with a café au lait or espresso during their morning break.

In addition to breakfast, viennoiseries can be eaten during the goûter, a late afternoon snack (usually around 4 p.m.), especially for children. Pain au chocolat is a common choice for goûter, along with other sweet treats.

Share this article

Go! Go! France

Search articles

Popular posts

DO YOU WANT TO LIVE AND STUDY IN FRANCE?

We at Go! Go! France are all about turning your dreams of living and studying in France into reality!

Go! Go! France Blog

Related articles

Knowing how to greet people properly is essential—especially in French culture, where greetings go beyond simple words. They convey respect, familiarity, and social awareness. This guide will walk you through the most common French greetings and the appropriate gestures to accompany them. Introduction to French greetings In France, greetings are more than polite formalities—they’re social...
The summer sales (called soldes d’été in French) are the perfect time to save big on everything from fashion to home essentials—especially when you’re living on a student budget. Here’s your complete guide to making the most of the summer sales in France. Understanding how summer sales work in France The summer sales are official,...
Planning your move to France this summer? July and August are fantastic months to arrive, but they also bring a shift in rhythm across the country. While most services remain open, some operate on reduced schedules—especially in August. In this guide, we’ll walk you through what to expect so you can plan your arrival with...
Grandes Écoles in France are elite higher education institutions known for their academic excellence, selective admissions, and strong career outcomes. For international students, they offer a unique opportunity to study within one of the world’s most prestigious educational systems. What is a Grande École A Grande École is a top-tier higher education institution in France....
One of the most confusing aspects of learning French? Many words sound almost identical but mean entirely different things. In this article, we’ll explore some of the most common French sound-alike words—terms that share the same pronunciation but differ in spelling, grammar, and meaning. Why French pronunciation and spelling can be confusing French is known...

Contact us

Any questions? We are here to help