Cheater Kouign Amann Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the fattest French pastry? ›

The Legend & History of the Kouign Amann

This queen hails from Brittany, a region in western France. It is a specialty from the town of Douarnenez in Finistère, Brittany, and originated around 1860. “Kouign Amann” is Breton for “butter cake” (simple, straight, and to the point — we like it).

Timing is key when rolling, folding and letting your kouign amann rise. If you do want to make these ahead of time to freeze and bake later, make the dough, do the first 2 folds and then freeze, well wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough overnight in the fridge before continuing with the folds that use sugar.

The name comes from the Breton language words for 'cake' (kouign) and 'butter' (amann), and in 2011 the New York Times described the kouign-amann as "the fattiest pastry in all of Europe."

Wrap the butter in the dough: Remove the butter from the fridge and transfer it to the middle of the dough. Fold one half of the dough over the butter and fold the other half on top, like folding a letter. Roll it out slightly to press the layers together, then fold it again into thirds.

Eater notes that croissant dough contains milk and butter, but kouign amann dough does not. It is, rather, a “simple mixture of yeast, flour, salt, and water, with no fat or sweetener,” according to Eater. Kouign amann means “butter cake” in Breton, a Celtic language spoken in Brittany.

Kouign Amann are best served fresh from the oven. Unfortunately, they are not the same pastry after they go cold. However, I found that you can reheat them in a toaster oven to restore them pretty closely to their original glory. They would make an excellent addition to a breakfast table or afternoon tea.

Alternately, the kouign amann can be refrigerated overnight (before rising) and baked the next day. If you'd like to take advantage of that option make sure to bring the pastries back to room temperature and rise before baking. While the kouign amann are rising, preheat the oven to 400º.

A good kouign amann is all about contrast: a crispy crust (with at least one super-caramelized side) versus a soft interior that's sweet but not too sweet. There should be a lick of salt, too, and some yeasty complexity from the dough itself.

Some Bretons claim that this signature treat (which is pronounced “queen ah-MAHN”), made by artisans across the region, is the fattiest pastry in the world. Epicure & Culture calls the kouign-amann Brittany's equivalent to the Paris croissant.

Can you freeze kouign-amann? Yes, you can! Once they are baked you can wrap them individually and freeze them for up to a month. Freezing them helps them retain that fluffy interior without becoming too stale.

How to heat up kouign amann? ›

350° F for 3 minutes, or alternatively, for 15 seconds in the microwave.

Sold as “Le Cube” at Le Deli Robuchon, cube croissants are also marketed as croissant cubes, cubic croissants, cube danishes, or square croissants. Sometimes, as is the case at Julien Boulangeries in New York City, cube croissants are topped with toasted meringue, chopped nuts, cereal pieces, or fruit.

Some Bretons claim that this signature treat (which is pronounced “queen ah-MAHN”), made by artisans across the region, is the fattiest pastry in the world. Epicure & Culture calls the kouign-amann Brittany's equivalent to the Paris croissant.

So where does puff pastry come from. Well it comes from France, where it is called pâte feuilletée. It was invented in 1645 by Claudius Gele, a pastry cook apprentice. He wanted to bake an improved bread for his father who was sick and was on a diet of flour, butter and water.

Pâte feuilletée

Better known as puff pastry, this is another staple of viennoiserie. The dough is kept chilled as it's made and laminated multiple times with butter, creating distinct layers which, when cooked, form pockets of air throughout the pastry.