Kouign-amann
{{Short description|Breton pastry}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name = Kouign-amann
| image = Kouignamann.JPG
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Kouign-amann pastry
| alternate_name =
| country = France
| region = Brittany
| creator =
| type = Bread
| served =
| main_ingredient = Yeast-leavened dough, butter, sugar
| variations =
| calories =
| other =
}}
Kouign-amann ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|k|w|iː|n|nbsp|æ|ˈ|m|aː|n}}; {{IPA|br|ˌkwiɲ aˈmãn|lang}}; {{abbr|pl.|plural}} {{lang|br|kouignoù-amann}}) is a sweet, round Breton laminated dough pastry, originally made with bread dough (nowadays sometimes viennoiserie dough), containing layers of butter and incorporated sugar, similar in fashion to puff pastry albeit with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 the butter (in fact the 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).{{cite web |last1=Gunther |first1=Caitlin Raux |title=The Story of France's Most Extraordinary Pastry |url=https://food52.com/blog/24655-kouign-amann-history |website=Food52.com |date=17 October 2019 |access-date=2019-12-29}} 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."{{Cite news|url=https://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/29/a-pastry-from-brittany-making-waves-stateside/|title=A Pastry From Brittany Making Waves Stateside|last=Spiegel|first=Brendan|work=In Transit Blog|date=29 November 2011 |access-date=2018-10-14|language=en}}
Recipe
File:Kouign amann pastry from B. Patisserie in San Francisco.JPG
The strict original Douarnenez recipe requires a ratio of 40 percent bread dough, 30 percent butter, and 30 percent sugar.{{Cite news | title = Meet the kouign-amann, the caramelized French pastry we're loving right now | last = Krystal | first = Becky | newspaper = Washington Post | access-date = 2015-08-21 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/going-out-guide/wp/2015/05/27/meet-the-kouign-amann-the-caramelized-french-pastry-were-loving-right-now/ }} 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.{{fact|date=October 2018}}
Popularity
Kouign-amann has been a staple pastry at many Japanese bakeries after becoming popular in the late 1990s.{{cite book |title=ブーム再燃の噂！？フランス生まれの洋菓子「クイニーアマン」とは？ |date=6 March 2014 |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.jp/cookpad-news/post_7031_b_4902039.html |language=ja}}{{cite web |title=クイニーアマンとは？名前の意味や歴史は？作り方やアレンジレシピのおすすめも紹介！ |url=https://chisou-media.jp/posts/2763 |website=chisou-media.jp |language=ja}}
In 2014 episode 7 of series 5 of the BBC's The Great British Bake Off{{Cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/food/features/great-british-baking-show-episode-7-pastries/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207225933/http://www.pbs.org/food/features/great-british-baking-show-episode-7-pastries/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 7, 2015|title=Episode 7: Pastries | The Great British Baking Show|website=Pbs.org|date=February 1, 2015}} featured kouign-amann. In 2015, notable bakeries in New York City,{{Cite web | title = Better Than a Cronut: How to Master Kouign-Amann | work = Eater | date = Feb 27, 2015 | access-date = 2015-08-21 | url = https://www.eater.com/2015/2/27/8117807/kouign-amann-draft-chef-steps }} Washington D.C., Boston,{{Cite web | title = A 150-year-old pastry no one ever heard of - The Boston Globe | first = Lisa | last = Zwirn | work = The Boston Globe | date = 30 June 2015 | access-date = 2015-08-21 | url = https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/food-dining/2015/06/30/year-old-pastry-one-ever-heard/lqkq23IrbvrYM6Ews5Y1sN/story.html }} Salt Lake City,{{cite web |title = The Neelys on Kouing Amann | url=https://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/kouing-aman-pastry-0147971 |website=Best Things I Ever Ate: Kouing-amann |publisher=Food Network |access-date=10 June 2019}} and San Francisco began to sell the pastry.{{Cite web | title = BiteClub: Meet the new cronut, the Kouign Amann | last = Irwin | first = Heather | work = The Press Democrat | date = 9 July 2015 | access-date = 2015-08-21 | url = http://www.pressdemocrat.com/lifestyle/4181424-181/biteclub-meet-the-new-cronut }}{{Cite web | title = B. Patisserie will be full of kouign amann on Saturday | last = Lucchesi | first = Paolo | work = Inside Scoop SF | date = 19 June 2015 | access-date = 2015-08-21 | url = http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2015/06/19/b-patisserie-will-be-full-of-kouign-amann-on-saturday/ | publisher = San Francisco Chronicle | archive-date = 2015-07-25 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150725111343/http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2015/06/19/b-patisserie-will-be-full-of-kouign-amann-on-saturday/ | url-status = dead }}{{Cite web | title = Croissant, Dethroned; All Hail Kouign-Amann {{!}} 7x7 | first = Carolyn | last = Alburger | work = 7x7.com | date = October 3, 2011 | access-date = 2015-08-22 | url = http://www.7x7.com/eat-drink/croissant-dethroned-all-hail-kouign-amann | quote = Now San Franciscans can find the rare treat at several cafes around town, and Wood has had to put a hold on new accounts because his little bakery can't keep up with the demand. So what the heck is kouign-amann, you ask? Let's start by saying your morning croissant is about to get upstaged in the pastry case. }} In Denver, several bakeries offer varieties; some shorten the name to "queen".{{Cite web|url=https://www.westword.com/restaurants/five-mini-trends-that-brought-big-flavors-to-denver-menus-in-2016-8635597|title=Five Mini-Trends That Brought Big Flavors to Denver Menus in 2016|first=Mark|last=Antonation|date=December 28, 2016|website=Westword}} 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 Maison Kayser and Starbucks.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}
See also
{{Portal|Food}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Wiktionary}}
- [http://www.a-brest.net/article741.html Kouign amann]: Some history {{in lang|fr}}
- [http://www.eatthelove.com/2014/03/kouign-amann/ Recipe for kouign-amann]: An easy recipe on how to make kouign-amanns at home
{{Pancakes}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kouign-Amann}}