National Kouign Amann Day
Kouign Amann is a pastry-like cake made with an insane amount of butter—and therefore is incredibly delicious. Visit a bakery or try making your own at home.
Every year and on the 20th June, it’s National Kouign Amann Day. But what exactly is a Kouign Amann, we hear you ask?
A kouign amann is a kind of cake, made with lots and lots of butter. In fact, the recipe calls for so much butter that the dough is puffed up by its cooking and leaves it looking like a pastry.
Depending on where you buy it from, you might find that your kouign amann is a super flaky, bite-size treat or a full loaf of buttery deliciousness.
A sweet treat perhaps not so well known outside of its birthplace region of France, this day aims to get the word out there about what the rest of the world is missing!
History of National Kouign Amann Day
National Kouign Amann Day became an official day in 2015, submitted by San Franciso bakery b.patisserie.
This crusty circular cake hails from the Brittany region of France. It was originally made with bread dough, and created with a mixture of layers of butter folded in. This technique will be familiar with pastry bakers, as the way to make a kouign amann is very similar to how puff pastry is made.
The resultant cake is baked slowly, so that the butter can successfully puff up the dough and create a layered pastry-style cake. The sugar used caramelizes, leaving a crusty sweet glaze.
If you tried one, you might be reminded of a croissant – albeit a much more buttery, sugary one!
The name kouign amann comes from the Breton words for butter and for cake – ‘amann’ and ‘kouign’ respectively. So you know you’re in for a buttery treat here!
How to celebrate National Kouign Amann Day
This is an easy one – why not simply try your hand at rustling up a delicious, indulgent kouign amann yourself? And be sure to share your creations on social media for the world to enjoy!
You can make a big cake-sized kouign amann to cut into slices and to have with tea or coffee – or, if you’re expecting guests, this pastry treat is served just as well in small single cake versions.
Or if you aren’t exactly a whizz in the kitchen, you could pop to your local bakery and see if they have any on offer. Although it’s a bit of an obscure treat, it’s not uncommon to see them in traditional pastry shops, especially French ones.
And if you do get your mitts on these delicious treats, be sure to enjoy them with friends and family!
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