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A delightfully fragrant croissant combined with fresh butter and jam and voilà – you’ve got the archetype of French delicacy. Although, the croissant is not as French as it seems. Are you familiar with the kipferl, the cornetto, or the medialuna? Croissants can be spicy, classically buttery, or baked with a special filling. Thanks to their versatility and the multitude of different creations possible, there is a croissant to suit every pastry lover’s personal taste. But in all their variety, they have one thing in common: their production is almost identical.
Dough technologist & Manager of the FRITSCH WoB: Michael Gier
At the FRITSCH World of Bakery, Michael Gier is our specialist when it comes to the production of croissants, and their diversity is his greatest passion. Michael, a dough technologist and head of the World of Bakery, associates the smell of freshly baked croissants with fond childhood memories. When he was a child, his favourite place was in the bakery of his uncle, where he was a busy helper. The highlight of each day was a croissant fresh from the oven.
It comes as no surprise that Michael turned his early passion for pastries into his profession and, after finishing his baker’s schooling, started working at his uncle’s bakery. There, he baked his first croissants after an original French recipe. Thus, his uncle’s bakery was where he developed his fine sense for first-class croissant dough. He was already working with the FRITSCH ROLLFIX dough sheeter back then. And Michael is still adamant about one thing: “Fine ingredients and gentle dough handling are crucial for high-quality croissants.”
Michael has been with FRITSCH since 2006. He first was in charge of the dough technology-related commissioning of new machines and later joined the team of dough technologists at the World of Bakery. His speciality? The croissant, of course. The fact that there is not just one kind of croissant has always fascinated him about this pastry.
Croissant dough pieces on the IMPRESSA croissant
„The product has conquered the whole world, in many different interpretations: straight, curved, closed in a circle, filled, unfilled, or soft. Whichever country I travel to, the croissant is a new challenge every time,“ Michael enthuses.
The most exotic croissant he has produced so far, together with a friend, was a matcha croissant for the Japanese market.
The IMPRESSA croissant machine can be used to produce the entire diversity of croissant variations. “FRITSCH is the croissant specialist in the branch,” Michael emphasises. “We can produce any type of croissant with the most diverse fillings and in high quality on our lines – from the artisanal baker’s machine to the industrial line making more than 60,000 pieces per hour. With the help of a FRITSCH machine, bakers can produce the croissants of their desires,” Michael says with pride.
Croissants are pure emotion. To make a croissant, everything must be matched perfectly: crumb, leafing and high-quality ingredients. The shape, filling and size are parameters that can be perfected on a machine that is gentle on the dough – whether making a 20 gram mini croissant or a 120 gram giant. Chocolate, fruit, chicken, or ham & cheese are all suitable fillings. The wealth of possible shapes and variants enriches every product range.
Französisches Buttercroissant
“We can produce any croissant shape a customer wants using our CBS bending robot,” Michael says enthusiastically. „A FRITSCH speciality is the fully automatic production of cornetti. For these, the focus is on stretching the base as if done by hand to achieve the typically thin arms, and then to bend the distinctive buffalo horns.“
Although Michael works with croissants almost every day, there is one thing from his childhood that has never changed: he still cannot resist a properly delicious croissant. Given the choice, he prefers the French classic, with its open structure, visible leafing and shiny glaze.
Michael is a trained baker. Following his first schooling, he became a qualified food processing technician in Kulmbach. Michael then joined FRITSCH in 2006. Initially, his main job was commissioning lines worldwide. Over time, his duties gradually shifted towards dough technology and product development.
Michael became the head of the World of Bakery in July 2020.
“The product has conquered the whole world, in many different interpretations: straight, curved, closed in a circle, filled, unfilled, or soft. Whichever country I travel to, the croissant is a new challenge every time.”
Michael Gier, Head of the FRITSCH World of Bakery
The layers of a laminated croissant dough piece
Delicious croissants, from straight to semi-circular to closed
Closed croissants and cornetto
Semi-circular and two-coloured croissants
Two-coloured croissants
Egg-fried sandwich croissants
