Croissant is a kind of butter like, flake like, Vienna style pastry, named for its famous crescent shape. Croissants and other Viennese flavored pastries are made from layered yeast fermented dough. The dough is buttered, rolled and folded several times in turn, and then rolled into pieces using a technique called lamination. This process produces a flaky texture similar to a crisp layer.

Since the Renaissance, the crescent shaped food bread has been made, and the crescent shaped cake has been made since ancient times.

Croissants have long been the staple of bakeries and pastries in Austria and France. In the late 1970s, the development of factory made, frozen, preformed but unbaked dough made them fast food that could be freshly baked by unskilled workers. Croissants are obviously French response to American fast food. Today, 30-40% of croissants sold in French bakeries and French cake shops are baked with frozen dough.

Croissants are a common part of continental breakfast.