Lune: Croissants All Day, Every Day

by Kate Reid

The debut cookbook from Lune, a world-renowned croissant bakery in Australia. Lune Croissanterie is one of the most talked about bakeries in the world. From rave reviews from Nigella Lawson, Yotam Ottolenghi, René Redzepi and Rachel Khoo, to features in news outlets such as New York Times and The Guardian , Lune has been touted as 'the best croissant in the world' since it opened its doors in 2012. Customers are queuing quite literally around the block from the early hours to eat Lune's pastries, but what makes this book so special is how Kate Reid elevates croissant pastry from a classic breakfast staple to a refined vehicle for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

With step-by-step techniques for rolling and shaping croissants, followed by recipes for every hour of the day, plus what to do with leftovers and how to make a croissant a special occasion, this is the ultimate guide to baking the world's best-loved pastry.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published February 7, 2023

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I paged through this fascinating book. I will have to get it again from the library so I can try some of the recipes. I appreciated the way Ms. Reid explained everything, and how she differentiated making croissants commercially versus what would work for the home baker.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baking porn. You’re probably never really going to do it like that, but it’s fun to look at!

[Tory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful read that beautifully illustrates Reid's dedication to her craft. The book has some of the clearest and most understandable instructions I've encountered. However, it is not for the feint of heart and the recipes are difficult and finicky - even for an experienced home baker. I have successfully completed a few recipes with delicious results, but I don't think the effort is worth it. While it was a wonderful read of baking, science, and personal growth, I still find croissants and pastries from local bakeries to be superior to a home-baked version - hence the 4 stars. However, it is well worth the read and I learned so much about the science and craft of baking.

[Lili Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was flying Qantas and saw this bakery mentioned in their magazine, so I went to eat there! I just wish they had more of the fun and dessert type of croissants when I went, as they had a smaller selection. But about the book-the photos look great-hopefully we can figure out how to bake 'em ourselves!

[Hannah Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

A beautiful book about making all manner of croissants in all shapes and sizes! Now I just need to actually be bothered to attempt the rigamarole of making the dough for anything croissant-related.

[Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely gorgeous - a lot of great inspiration of multiple ways to use laminated dough.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning cookbook devoted entirely to croissants and the various viennoiseries you can make with croissant dough. Author Kate Reid notes that her croissant dough is untraditional (among other departures from the norm, it has clarified butter in the dough, and the butter is added in two steps), but this is done for the purpose of making the recipe more approachable for home bakers who don't have dough sheeters or climate-controlled rooms.

I haven't yet tried the recipes because the main croissant recipe calls for fresh yeast. I'm hoping this can be substituted to some degree with active dry or instant, but more research needs to be done. However, this gets 5 stars from me due to its unique ideas, helpful visuals, and gorgeous page spreads. Kate Reid also includes short blurbs about her path from an aerospace engineer to croissant baker -- her writing style is so engaging that these may have been my favorite part of the book.

To many, croissants come in a restricted number of flavors: plain, almond, ham and cheese, and pain au chocolat. In LUNE, the flavor possibilities are endless, and there are recipes that make use of fresh croissants, day-old croissants, and even those pesky croissant dough scraps. A must-try for fans of flaky pastries.

[Gabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for Christmas, but have just baked croissants and almond croissants from it this weekend. (It’s about my fifth attempt at croissants). I would definitely recommend it for keen home bakers who love croissants.

Kate Reid’s attention to detail and precise instructions, both written and visual, provided an excellent guide. It is the best recipe for home made croissants I have used to date. They did not leak butter when rolled out, and using clarified butter and the poolish provided an extra dimension to the final flavour.

I couldn’t source local fresh yeast, so I found a conversion online to use dried yeast and I think they still worked out perfectly. The advice not to skimp on quality ingredients was a good one! I look forward to trying many more of the recipes.

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stunning cookbook featuring gorgeous photos of croissants definitely not for your average home cook. It would make a beautiful coffee table book though.