What Is Kouign Amann, and Why Is It Suddenly Everywhere?

Earlier this spring, in a large feature about one of the biggest food trends of the year, The New York Times declared that “We Will Never Reach Peak Croissant.” In addition to being downright delicious, the buttery pastries are also uber-shareable on social media. Who wouldn’t feel lured in by the mesmerizing spirals of a suprême croissant or the curiosity of the cube croissant?

But have you heard of or tried kouign amann? This is a close cousin of both of those laminated pastries, and it’s also rising in popularity around the globe. This treat is a star in its own right due to its caramelized exterior and dense and moist interior. But the process for how to make kouign amann—as well as how to pronounce it—can be perplexing to the uninitiated. So ahead, we’ve got your guide to kouign amann so you know how to order one … and if you’re feeling ambitious, how to make it, too.

What Is Kouign Amann?

Kouign amann, pronounced "queen-a-mahn," means “butter cake” in a Celtic language spoken in its homeland. This is a pretty accurate description of the prized French pastry. While we don’t know for sure who originally dreamed it up, patissier Yves-Rene Scordia claims to have “invented” it in the late 19th century in Brittany, France. 

Brittany is renowned for its fleur de sel (flaky sea salt), its ultra-rich butter, and kouign amann, which often features both of those ingredients. Sometimes described as “salted caramel croissant muffins,” kouign amann is mostly sweet, a little salty, and fully loaded with buttery goodness. 

Both croissants and kouign amann involve a technique called “lamination,” which is also utilized to create puff pastry. The process calls for rolling butter into dough, then folding and layering this dough on top of itself many times to create delicate, thin, and flaky layers of pastry decadence. Croissant dough is enriched with butter and milk, while traditional kouign amann dough is made with just flour, yeast, salt, and water. Unlike croissants, each layer of a kouign amann is sprinkled with granulated sugar.

While baking, the water in the butter turns into steam, causing the dough to rise. And as that happens, the sugary layers in the center melt to create pockets of sweetness inside. While the sugar on the outside caramelizes, resulting in a crunchy caramel shell.

While kouign amann has roots in France, it has now made its way around the globe. Spurred on by social media and media outlets that deemed it “better than a Cronut,” bakeries in Montreal, London, Hong Kong, San Francisco, New York City, and beyond now make it possible for more people to buy the pastry much closer to home. You can even order a DKA (short for “Dominque’s Kouign Amann”) online to have Dominique Ansel Bakery’s best-selling product shipped to your door. Yes, even at the bakery that was founded by the creator of the Cronut, kouign amann reigns supreme.

How to Make Kouign Amann

On our sister site Allrecipes, Chef John aptly says, “kouign amann wouldn't be one of the world's greatest pastries if it weren't a legendary labor of love. The irresistible combination of sweet, salty, sticky, buttery, crispy, flaky, and tender is something you must experience to believe.”

It’s not easy to make laminated dough at home, but it definitely is possible! To make kouign amman the classic way, take a yeast dough, roll it thin, sprinkle it with sugar, then fold and stack the dough on top of itself to create a layer. Repeat that process several times, chilling between layers to keep the butter cold.

There are several how-to videos on TikTok, and many bakers have different techniques. Some even resemble the aforementioned suprême croissants, and call for rolling the dough into a spiral.

But kouign amman that’s fit for royalty is often more similar to a cupcake in shape, and the forming process makes it look similar to a crown.

After seeing the crown shape of Chef John’s trusted shortcut Kouign Amann recipe—as well as reviews like, “these. Are. PHENOMENAL!” and “so good and not that hard,” we tried his rendition and agree it's a terrific technique for home bakers. 

Now that you’re well versed on how to say kouign amann, plus what it is, where to buy it, and how to make it, you’re all set to raise the pastry peak even higher.