Kouign Amann from Tiong Bahru Bakery
Kouign Amann @ S$3.50
I've been addicted to the Kouign Amann from Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier since C & L introduced it to me last year. To be perfectly honest, when I first visited Tiong Bahru Bakery with R at it's first outlet in Tiong Bahru, I wasn't impressed by the sandwiches and the famed croissant. Hence, I was skeptical when C & L tried to entice me with a Kouign Amann even though I was really stuffed. I took a small piece of the pastry and was blown away.
Wrapped up like a snail sausage, the Kouign Amann is like a cross between a croissant and a palmier. Hailing from Brittany in France, Kouign Amann (also known as butter cake in France) is made with bread dough and copious amounts of butter and sugar folded into the layers of bread dough. The baking process causes the butter to puff up the dough (like in puff pastry) whilst caramelizing the sugar. The end product is a golden brown pastry with a crunchy and crisp surface that gives away to a buttery and flaky interior.
Tiong Bahru Bakery's Kouign Amann has an addictive Salted Caramel flavour to it. They probably added salt to the pastry before baking instead of making a salted caramel sauce as the baking process might cause the sauce to burn. Then again, I'm not a baker so if you know how it's done, do share your tips because I might need them someday. You know, when I might be crazy enough to labour in the kitchen trying to bake this when buying's just so much easier.
In short, the Kouign Amann at Tiong Bahru Bakery is a Must-Try! I'd even venture so far as to say skip the Croissant and go for the Kouign Amann. Don't get me wrong, I really love croissants but so far, I haven't found one in Asia that tops the one I had at Blue Pumpkin in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier 56 Eng Hoon Street, #01-70, Singapore 160056 Phone: +65 6220-3430 Operating Hours: Daily from 8 am to 8 pm Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier @ Raffles City 252 North Bridge Road, #B1-11/12 Raffles City Shopping Centre, Singapore 179103 Phone: +65 6220-3430 Operating Hours: Daily from 9 am to 10 pm Email: enquiries@tiongbahrubakery.com