Kouign-amann
Breton pastry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kouign-amann (/ˌkwiːn æˈmɑːn/; Breton: [ˌkwiɲ aˈmãn]; pl. kouignoù-amann) is a sweet, round Breton laminated dough pastry, originally made with bread dough, but is also made with laminated viennoiserie dough,[1] containing layers of butter and incorporated sugar, similar in fashion to puff pastry albeit with fewer layers. It is slowly baked until the sugar caramelizes and steam from the water in the butter expands the dough, resulting in its layered structure. A smaller version, kouignette, is similar to a muffin-shaped, caramelized croissant.
A specialty of the town of Douarnenez in Finistère, Brittany where it originated around 1860, the pastry is attributed to Yves-René Scordia (1828–1878).[2] The name comes from the Breton language words for 'cake' (kouign) and 'butter' (amann), and in 2011 the New York Times described it as "the fattiest pastry in all of Europe."[3]
Recipe
The strict original Douarnenez recipe requires a ratio of 40 percent bread dough, 30 percent butter, and 30 percent sugar.[4] Traditionally, kouign-amann is baked as a large cake and served in slices, although recently, especially in North America, individual cupcake-sized pastries (kouignettes) have become more popular.[citation needed]
Popularity
Kouign-amann has been a staple pastry at many Japanese bakeries after becoming popular in the late 1990s.[5][6]
In 2014 episode 7 of series 5 of the BBC's The Great British Bake Off[7] featured kouign-amann. In 2015, notable bakeries in New York City,[8] Washington D.C.,[4] Boston,[9] Salt Lake City,[10] and San Francisco began to sell the pastry.[11][12][13] In Denver, several bakeries offer varieties; some shorten the name to "queen".[14] The making of kouign-amann also featured in Michael Portillo's Great Continental Rail Journeys on BBC TV (series 8, episode 17, 31 March 2025).
As of 2024, kouign-amann had also gained popularity in countries worldwide such as Indonesia thanks to coffeeshop chains that operated in the country such as Éric Kayser.[citation needed]
