bake - May 2013 - 40

What’s Old is New
The bakery business is rich with stories of accidents one day in
the production process turning into proﬁts for many decades
ahead. In 1906, a homemaker in Maine forgets to add baking
powder to her chocolate cake recipe and winds up with the
ﬁrst-ever brownie. In the 1930s, a St. Louis baker mixes the
wrong proportions of ingredients and creates the city’s now
famous gooey butter cake.
Fact or ﬁction? It’s difficult to really know. But the myths of
bakery product origins can be fascinating to share. Are accidents the mother of invention? In many cases, the answer is yes.
One such bakery myth involves a product that traces its origins
to Brittany in northwest France, circa 1860. The product,
Kouign Amann (pronounced kween ah-MON), is gaining huge
popularity today in artisan baking and pastry circles from San
Francisco to Chicago to New York City. Here is one story of how
it originated:

In Brittany, it is believed that the original Kouign
Amann has resulted from a failed bread paste. Indeed,
in 1865, a Breton baker from Douarnenez may have
brilliantly turned the dough into a fine cake, adding
sugar and butter. The compact yet refined “Butter
Cake” was born, rapidly becoming the specialty of
this village in the Finistère. The traditional Kouign
Amann knew a greater success after 1945 when tourism started in the Brittany region of France.
The authentic Breton recipe consists in multiple layers of alternating brioche dough, butter, and sugar.
The layers are arranged in a big circular cake mold
(with a diameter of 50 to 70 cm) called roue de charrette (“carriage wheel”) in Bretagne. The rich pudding
is finally slowly baked until the sugar caramelizes.

Joe Falcinelli of Bennison’s Bakery won the judge’s prize in the breakfast
category of the 2012 America’s Best Raisin Bread Contest for his Raisin
Kouign Amann.
PHOTO CREDIT: CALIFORNIA RAISIN MARKETING BOARD

Origins of a success story
Michel Suas, founder of the San Francisco Baking Institute,
says the original 1860 formula for Kouign Amann calls for 400
g of ﬂour, 300 g of sugar and 300 g of butter. “It is a hybrid
between a croissant and a sticky bun. You have both in one,”
Suas says. “It has a sugary, nicer ﬂavor.”
US pastry chefs are busy creating their own signature versions,
some with chocolate or even fruit marmalade in the center.
Individual sizes are becoming common – about 2½ in. in diameter and 1½ in. in height.

Douarnenez patissiers (pastry cooks) decided in 1999
to create an association to ensure their expertise and
authenticity would be recognized.

With his Raisin Kouign Amann, Joe Falcinelli of Bennison’s
Bakery in Evanston, IL, won the judge’s prize in the breakfast
category of the 2012 America’s Best Raisin Bread Contest,

SOURCE: FRENCHPROPERTY.COM

sponsored by the California Raisin Marketing Board. Falcinelli
made his delicious version, which now sells for $2.99 apiece at
Bennison’s, with juicy California raisins inside.

40 < MAY 2013 | bakemag.com

http://www.FRENCHPROPERTY.COM http://www.bakemag.com

bake - May 2013

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