Rongyos kifli is actually a Hungarian croissant, a quicker, simpler and rustic version of the classic French croissant. It’s crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, the flaky layers shatter as you bite into it. Rongyos kifli is made with a yeast leavened dough that has been laminated with butter, but lamination is carried out not by folding, but stacking layers onto each other.

The original recipe of rongyos kifli was published in 1840. In that recipe the dough was folded, but later housewives tended to laminate the dough by preparing separate layers and placing them onto each other. The butter is softened so it can be spread on each layer evenly. Rongyos kifli is always bent into a crescent shape.

This recipe will yield 12-16 Hungarian croissants depending on how big pieces you want to make. Rolling out the layered dough needs a large work surface, kitchen counter won’t be enough, it’s recommended doing it on a big table.