Kouign-amann (pronounced [?kwi? a'mãn]; pl. kouignoù-amann) is a Breton cake. It is a round crusty cake, originally made with bread dough (nowadays sometimes viennoiserie dough), containing layers of butter and sugar folded in, similar in fashion to puff pastry albeit with fewer layers. The cake is slowly baked until the butter puffs up the dough (resulting in the layered aspect of it) and the sugar caramelizes. The effect is similar to a muffin-shaped, caramelized croissant.
Video Kouign-amann
History
Kouign-amann is a speciality of the town of Douarnenez in Finistère, Brittany, where it originated around 1860. The invention is attributed to Yves-René Scordia (1828-1878).
Maps Kouign-amann
Recipe
The strict recipe of Douarnenez requires a ratio of 40 percent dough, 30 percent butter, and 30 percent sugar. 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.
The name derives from the Breton language words for cake (kouign) and butter (amann). The Welsh equivalent is the etymologically identical cacan menyn, literally 'cake (of) butter'.
Popularity
In 2014, the BBC aired an episode of The Great British Bake Off featuring the kouign amann. In 2015, it had also increased in popularity in the United States with notable bakeries in New York, Washington D.C., Boston and San Francisco highlighting the pastry. The Dominique Ansel Bakery, home of the trendy cronut, sells a version of kouign amann called the DKA.
See also
- List of butter dishes
- List of cakes
- Food portal
References
External links
- Kouign amann: some history (in French)
- Recipe for kouign-amann: an easy recipe on how to make kouign-amanns at home
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments