Kouign-amann — Douarnenez, France
Douarnenez, France
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Kouign-amann means cake (kouign) of butter (amann) in Breton, and it delivers on the promise. The cake was born in Douarnenez around 1860, at the bakery of Yves-René Scordia, according to local tradition — out of a shortage of flour and an excess of butter, or by accident; accounts differ. The town has made it its emblem and argues with the rest of Brittany over who makes it best.
The technique is that of laminated pastry, in a more brutal form: a bread dough, a slab of salted butter, sugar between the folds, three turns, then baking in a buttered, sugared tin. The sugar and butter melt, escape, and caramelize: the underside is crisp, the inside flaky and melting. It is eaten warm, the same day.
Preparation
- 01
Knead the flour, yeast, salt and water into a soft dough. Let rise for 1 hour.
- 02
Roll the dough into a rectangle, place the flattened butter in the centre, sprinkle with 100 g of sugar, and fold into three. Roll out, sugar, and fold again: three turns in total, with 15 minutes' rest in the fridge between each.
- 03
Shape into a disc, place it in a buttered, sugared tin, and sugar the top. Let rise for 30 minutes.
- 04
Bake for 35 minutes at 200°C (400°F) until deeply caramelized. Turn out of the tin while warm.
Where this version sits
A single, final coordinate: Douarnenez, France. Another version of the same dish, elsewhere, gets its own point.
Photo: Haltopub — Public domain
