A few Sundays ago I was waiting in line at Starter Bakery, my new favorite Bay Area bakery that regularly has a booth at my new favorite Bay Area Farmers' Market in Oakland's Temescal district. I was thinking of picking up one of their delicious little quiche for a late breakfast treat when the woman next to me struck up a conversation. I'm here for the Kouign Amman, she said. (The what?) The Kouign Amman. It's the most amazing pastry I've ever tasted. Buttery, caramely, sweet and salty. It's perfect with a cup of strong black coffee. You have to try one. (Oh. Well … OK!)
The Kouign Amman were available plain, chocolate and fruit filled. On my new friend's advice, I chose the plain although plain is the last word that came to my mind when I bit through the crunchy, caramelized sugar coated bottom and the crispy, flakey top and my teeth met in the middle which was yeasty and a little salty and had the texture of a croissant except a little denser and more bread-like, but still layered. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Kouign Amman (pronounced 'KOO-ine ah-MAHN') is a Breton pastry that makes good use of the delicious, world-class salted butter from Brittany. It's this balance of sweet and salty that makes them so special, as well as the textural contrast of the crunchy caramelized sugar on the bottom, the crispy outer crust and the chewy middle. Apparently in France you can buy them cake-sized but so far I've only seen individual ones available here.
The reason I agreed to go with the "plain" is that I thought since this was my first taste of Kouign Amman, I should try it in its most unembellished state. I have had a few since and I have to admit that I still haven't graduated to the other flavors. So far, there's no reason to as I am entirely satisfied with my plain Kouign Aman experience.
Last week I brought fellow Kitchn writer Emma Christensen along to the market with me, stopping first at the Blue Bottle booth for that necessary cup of good strong coffee. She was equally love-struck and (lucky us!) has vowed to work on a recipe for The Kitchn. Meanwhile, you can check out David Lebovit's version, which he makes in an 9" round. Or next time you're in the Bay Area, find a cafe or farmers' market that carries Starter Bakery's delicious offerings and try one for yourself. Go early, as they tend to sell out.
Are you familiar with Kouign Amman? Is there a bakery in your area that makes them? Or do you know of a good recipe for Emma to work with?
Related: Chez Pim's Mix-on-the-Counter Pastry Dough
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this sounds amazing! anyone know where to get this is NY?
I tried it for the first time in Paris a few months ago... it was DELICIOUS. Much better than croissants, and that's saying something. And yes, my favorite was the plain one (although I also tried salted caramel and chocolate ones)
I forgot to mention where in Paris I bought these: Georges Larnicol and la pâtisserie de rêves; I talk about both of them in my guide to Paris (http://issuu.com/alittlebite/docs/paris-guide?viewMode=magazine)
There's a bakery in my 'hood called Kouign Amman and I'd always wondered about the strange name. Now, to figure out if they make any of these delectable-sounding pastries...
these are available through out the east bay in nor cal. also, brian... co-owner of starter wrote an article on KA a few years ago and has a copy on his blog.
http://tourrier.com/Blog/Entries/2009/10/8_The_Venerable_Kouing_Aman.html
rustica bakery in mpls makes a yummy one of these! they serve them at kopplin's coffee in st paul too. :)
I love these! You can get them at Rustica Bakery in Minneapolis.
@jsev -- you beat me to the punch! I concur, Rustica's is delicious. And thanks for the tip about Kopplin's, I didn't know that anyone else in the cities sold the Rustica kouign ammans. When I'm on the other side of the river, now I know where to go if I get that craving.
I designed a trip for some friends and I from London to Marseille that included a lunchtime layover in Paris so that we could try a Breton restaurant near Gare Du Nord called Chez Michel that I had read about on David Lebovitz's blog. The meal was lovely, but the large kouign amman that was served cut in wedges on a thick wooden board was utterly amazing. We stayed there too long and nearly missed our train but it was worth it!
BTW, I've made David Lebovitz's as well as Marcy Goldman's recipes for kouign amman. Tastes great plus the outsides get nicely caramelized but I can't seem to get the inside texture correct. It's just never flaky in just the right way.
I'm touring the coast of Brittany this summer with my husband! I first read about these pastries in some travel guides, can't wait to try them!
I had my first encounter with heavenly Kouign Amman at an organic fair in Mûr-de-Bretagne, France (central Brittany). The baker was passing out samples, many of which were being refused by older couples and women walking by, shaking their heads at the buttery confection. I couldn’t figure out why until I heard the baker say as he extended a napkin full of Kouign Amman, There's no fat in my Kouign Amman, just butter! Clearly the French were watching their waistlines, but I was putty in his hands! Always looking to discover new culinary treats, I very willingly took a piece and went off to enjoy my portion of this Breton pâtisserie. Salty, sweet, buttery, rich, caramel, flaky goodness. Heaven, indeed! I went back later to buy a full portion to share with friends. Needless to say, it didn’t last long. I’m so glad to know I can find more in the Bay Area. Thanks for this mouth-watering post!
If you've ever seen Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film Amelie, Kouign Amman is the plum pastry-like cake you see Amelie assembling in her picturesque French kitchen! I've bookmarked a recipe for it long ago, but have yet to attempt making it. I can't imagine it would be anything less than heavenly though!
I tried making this last summer based on David Lebovitz recipe. It was amazing, though I'm not sure it turned out authentic.
It is quite a treat, though.
Like--looking for in DC!
Probably my favorite baked good on the planet. We've got a Pacific Northwest competition going for the best.
Seattle: Honore bakery in Ballard
Portland: Alder bakery on Burnside
If anyone would like to try both and weigh in, they'd be welcome to!
Serendipity! As I read this, there is a piece of Kouign Amman sitting in a bag next to my purse. My parents were in Montreal over the weekend and brought me some. After reading this I had to take it out and sneak a bite, even though they sternly instructed me only to eat it warm! :)
I must try this but may have a hard time finding it in Sacramento. If anyone out there knows of where I can get this locally, please post! If not, I'll have to make sure I track some down my next trip to the Bay Area.
i had my first kouign amman at pizzaiolo in oakland (they serve great pastries and blue bottle coffee in the mornings). i too went on a quest for a kouign amman recipe and settled on david lebovitz's. it was very good, but not as flaky as the one i had at pizzaiolo.
sandy dandy: The Pizzaiolo one's were probably from Starter Bakery! If you follow the link from bdubsf above you can find the recipe.
Kouign Amman is one of the best things I've ever tasted. The first time I had it, it was in a small town in Bretagne, and I remember how the butter dripped from my hand down to my elbow... How decadent!
@ Cristinann: I don't remember that scene from Amelie, but a Breton pastry with plums is almost certainly "far breton".
Luckily for Utahans these wonders are available at Les Madeleines just south of Salt Lake's main public library.
Ha. I haven't found any bakeries in my town that can turn out a decent, basic pastry. There is, at least, a bakery that makes amazing cinnamon rolls.
This looks and sounds a lot like what the Japanese called a "Queeny Muffin". I wonder if it's the same thing.
Merewether, you must not be a native Utahn if you think it's spelled "UtahAns". :-) But you are right that Utahns are lucky to have Kouign Amman at Les Madeleines (though they spell it Kouing Aman there). It's been popular there for several years now, and they actually sell them online at http://store.les-madeleines.com/kouing-aman-4-pack-p1.aspx.
I found something in my new area that's not *quite* the same but can satisfy my craving. Crossroads Bake Shop in Doylestown, PA (far outlying suburb of Philadelphia) has something similar that they call the Morning Roll. I have to add a little sprinkle of sea salt when I get home, but the texture, flakiness/chewiness, and caramelized sugar are there.
@venusv -- next time you're in SF you can do a tour of bakeries that offer incredible Morning Rolls. It's practically an institution in the Bay Area. There's a recipe for one in the Tartine book too.
I didn't have luck with David Lebovitz's recipe. It came out heavy and not flaky. I think the dough was too springy -- perhaps he developed the recipe with European flour, which is more extensible? Anyway, I think I might try again using Peter Reinhart's croissant dough from Artisan Bread everyday, and sugaring it. But it could just be my technique and not the recipe :-) The sugar "breaks" dough layers much more than butter alone.