KOUIGN-AMANN

Although it sounds Middle-eastern, kouign-amann originates from Brittany. The recipe was created by accident in 1860 by Yves-René Scordia, owner of a boulangerie-pâtisserie in a small fishing port called Douarnenez. Not knowing what to do with a mixture of flour, butter and sugar in which the flour was too little, he baked the dough, ending up with a round-shaped croissant. Kouign-amann, whose name is possibly derived from the Breton words 'cake' and 'butter', also comes in a smaller version (kouignette). According to a different story, the high percentage of flour in comparison to butter and sugar resulted from either a general lack of flour or a surplus of visitors in Douarnenez.

 

Douarnenez in Sunshine (Maxime Maufra, 1897)

 

In fact, Douarnenez has a wonderful history itself. Situated on the north-western coast of France, it belongs to the historic region of Cornouailles. This was an early medieval kingdom, whose king Mar'ch passed into legend. We all know the wonderful story of Tristan & Yseult, which is part of the Arthurian Circle and the cultural heritage of both Cornouailles and its British twin Cornwall - where people from Brittany emigrated in the 5th century. The islet of Tristan, named after the young relative of king Mar'ch who fell in love with the princess of Ireland (and she with him) because of a love potion, is situated in the picturesque Bay of Douarnenez. In the nineteenth century, the fishing port attracted a lot of painters, including Henri Matisse. Douarnenez was also the largest producer of sardines that were conserved in oil.

Scordia's recipe for kouign-amann was quickly adapted, prefected & copied by other Breton pastrymakers. By the end of the 20th century, it had gained popularity both in Europe and overseas, especially in Japan and the USA. Kouign-amann was originally made with yeast-leavened bread dough but today it's classified as viennoiserie.

 

 

KOUIGN-AMANN

The following version is slightly adapted to match the 40% flour 30% butter 30% sugar definition of the nineteenth century recipe. I was introduced to 'kouign-aman' through a guide to regional French cuisines that I bought during a holiday in Paris. Incidentally, the good friend I was visiting presented me with an original edition of Tristan & Yseult - so baking kouign-amann reminds me of both France and Cornwall. Other lovely desserts with fascinating histories inspired by this cookbook are milhassou and tarte tatin.

I n g r e d i e n t s

400g plain flour

300g butter

300g caster sugar

1tsp dried yeast

1tsp salt

a few almonds (optional)

M e t h o d

1. Combine the flour, yeast and salt in a bowl. Dissolve 30g melted butter in a small glass of water. Mix with the dry ingredients, knead into a soft paste and leave to rest for 30 minutes under a wet towel. 2. Cube 250g butter. Roll out the dough into a 1cm-thick square and place the butter on top. Fold the corners over the butter and refrigerate for 15 minutes. 3. Roll out the dough into a rectangle 3 times as large as the original square. Fold 3 times in order to make a square and refrigerate for 1 hour. 4. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, cover with the sugar, fold 3 times and refrigerate for 30 minutes. In the mean time, preheat the oven to 210oC. 5. Melt the remaining butter. Roll out the dough and fit into a baking dish that you have greased and floured. Decorate with slivered almonds, if liked, then bake for 30 minutes or until golden.