Try saying Kouign Amann in front a French baker and see his or her face after you butcher it. Then after knowing how to say it, go to any bakery who doesn’t know Kouign Amann and asks for it then watch their facial expression. I always get the ”why is he making this noise” look. The first time I tried it, I was in a state of delight confusion and surprise. Is it a croissant? Is it a sweet buttery bread?
To be honest I didn't care. I wanted more of it and now. After looking it up, making it is a process. A long process. It takes about 3 days to make. Kneading, rolling, flipping, dusting sugar and kneading some more. This process is called lamination. Knowing me, I’m lazy. I want to focus my energy looking for it and eating it.
This small muffin like gems is so dense, sweet and flaky. They have a glistening finish from all the sugar that melted and created a thin glassy finish that breaks when you bite into it. When you look inside you’ll see layers upon layers of buttery sugared dough.
I was in New York City at that time at Dominique Ansel's bakery. He famous for creating Cronuts ( croissants + donuts ). I had to reserve 3 cronuts a month in advance. They looked great but tasted not so great. Maybe it’s the flavor of that month. Which was jam. Not my favorite 🤭. I was disappointed so I went back to get coffee and wash down all that jam from my throat. Then in the corner there it was. My to-be-discovered new pastry obsession. kouign amann or DKA which is short for Dominique's kouign Amann. From that day on every time I’m in a bakery I look for them or ask for them. Next stop is France. I don’t drink wine and I'm not a big fan of cheese. Only kouign amann every day🤩.