Have you heard of Kouign Amann?  Well, if you haven’t yet, now you will!

This buttery goodness comes from Brittany, France, and is also known as Breton cake.  The name kouign-amann is pronounced “kween-amahn”.  The direct  translation is “cake-butter”, which I personally think is a better name in english-speaking countries because “cake-butter” conjures a much more vivid and delicious imagery than “queen-amahn”.

Call it “queen amahn” or cake butter, this buttery pastry is so good that when you take a bite into its flaky layers of goodness, you frown because you can’t figure out how the heck can a pastry be so flaky on the outside, yet chewy on the inside.  If this wasn’t the experience you had when you tasted a kouign-amann, you should go try another place.The shop that I know has perfected kouign-amann is b-patisserie in San Francisco.  Their kouign-amann is something you wake up craving for, like coffee for some people.  The staple nature kouign-amann at b-patisserie is filled with a light sugar syrup that literally melts in your mouth.  They also offer one or two kouign-amann of the day that is filled with seasonal fruits or chocolate things.  When you visit, I strongly recommend getting one of each to get a full scope of this amazing cake-butter creation.  Their croissant is also pretty amazing.  If you are going straight home, get a few of the jewel-like pastries to go.  You won’t regret it!

b-patisserie (b stands for Belinda, the master chef behind this creation)

Location:

2821 California St. @ Divisadero St.
San Francisco, CA 94115
415.440.1700
contact@bpatisserie.com

Hours:

Tuesday – Sunday
8:00am – 6:00pm
Closed Monday

While you are there: Try all the flavors of the kouign amanns and croissants.

Tip:

• There may be a long line up, but it goes fast.
• Always eat your kouign amann with a plate or napkin because it’s going to crumble like crazy, and you definitely don’t want to waste any of the crumbles!

Do you know of other kouign amann shops?  What’s your go-to bakery for cravings?

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