bake -- August 2013 - 22

the not-so-sweet
spot

Dominique Ansel Bakery satisfies
a growing demand for unique
pastries like the Cronut and DKA.

BY JOHN UNREIN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE WEBB
Executive pastry chef Dominique Ansel has a secret.

Like many of today’s experienced and award-wining

Above: The DKA

The creative genius behind New York City’s hot-

chefs, this 2013 James Beard ﬁnalist for Outstanding

offers a lighter

selling Cronut admits that he does not have a sweet

Pastry Chef in the US is tinkering with creative ﬂavor

alternative to the

tooth. For this and other reasons related to consumers

combinations, only Ansel is reﬁning his craft in the

traditional kouign

today seeking out not-so-sweet products, he uses less

sweet world of bakery.

amann because it

sugar and butter in his signature DKA – or Dominique’s

is made with less

Kouign Amann, a specialty pastry born out of 1860s

Ansel has no interest in oily ﬂavored, sugar-laden

sugar and less

Brittany in France.

donuts. He’s striving to reinvent the category and
drive new business. So far, it’s working.

butter.

Then there is the Cronut, which has sold out within
two hours every day since Ansel introduced this

“Our DKA is our best seller; we make ﬁve to six

unique croissant-donut hybrid on May 10 at his New

batches every day (that translates to daily sales

York City bakery in Soho. Priced at $5 apiece, the

of 360 DKAs at $5.25 apiece),” he says during an

Cronut is fried in expensive grapeseed oil (which sells

exclusive BAKE interview at his place in Soho in late

for roughly $4 a pound) for only a minute and is

May. “Our DKA is a much a lighter version with less

ﬂavored with light cream ﬁlling and premium glaze

sugar and less butter. I’ve seen a hundred ways to do

topping. The ﬂavors of cream and glaze vary each

it. We do four folds, and we sprinkle sugar through

month; the inaugural ﬂavor was Rose Vanilla (with

the last two folds. Everything is more caramelized in

rose sugar, Tahitian vanilla ganache, and a light rose

layers. It’s very ﬂaky on the inside and crunchy on the

glaze with crystallized rose petals). Lemon Maple

outside. The proportion of butter and sugar is very

was the featured ﬂavor in June, Blackberry in July.

well balanced.”

22 < AUG 2013 | bakemag.com

http://www.bakemag.com

bake -- August 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of bake -- August 2013

bake -- August 2013
Editor's Note - the not-so-sweet spot
Table of Contents
News Bites - Lucks Company Chairman William G. Lucks Passes Away
CSM Unveils New Name, Strategy
DecoPac Appoints Anderson as President
LloydPans to Unveil New Pan Coating
Management - New Management Training Program
Tax Tips - Software Tips
Labor Front - First Day of School
Legislation - Health Care Mandate Delayed
Ingredients - Almond Market Outlook
The not-so-sweet spot
Pastry Chef Series Calendar
Clean Labels
Brewing up a storm
Wildflower Blossoms
The Bougel
The Perfect Pie Story
Hispanic Cakes Go Upscale
Cafe - Tapping into smaller households
Products
Product Showcase
Classifieds
Ad Index
bake -- August 2013 - bake -- August 2013
bake -- August 2013 - 2
bake -- August 2013 - Editor's Note - the not-so-sweet spot
bake -- August 2013 - 4
bake -- August 2013 - Table of Contents
bake -- August 2013 - News Bites - Lucks Company Chairman William G. Lucks Passes Away
bake -- August 2013 - 7
bake -- August 2013 - LloydPans to Unveil New Pan Coating
bake -- August 2013 - 9
bake -- August 2013 - Management - New Management Training Program
bake -- August 2013 - 11
bake -- August 2013 - Tax Tips - Software Tips
bake -- August 2013 - 13
bake -- August 2013 - 14
bake -- August 2013 - 15
bake -- August 2013 - Labor Front - First Day of School
bake -- August 2013 - 17
bake -- August 2013 - Legislation - Health Care Mandate Delayed
bake -- August 2013 - 19
bake -- August 2013 - Ingredients - Almond Market Outlook
bake -- August 2013 - 21
bake -- August 2013 - The not-so-sweet spot
bake -- August 2013 - 23
bake -- August 2013 - 24
bake -- August 2013 - 25
bake -- August 2013 - Pastry Chef Series Calendar
bake -- August 2013 - 27
bake -- August 2013 - 28
bake -- August 2013 - 29
bake -- August 2013 - Clean Labels
bake -- August 2013 - 31
bake -- August 2013 - Brewing up a storm
bake -- August 2013 - 33
bake -- August 2013 - 34
bake -- August 2013 - 35
bake -- August 2013 - Wildflower Blossoms
bake -- August 2013 - 37
bake -- August 2013 - The Bougel
bake -- August 2013 - 39
bake -- August 2013 - The Perfect Pie Story
bake -- August 2013 - 41
bake -- August 2013 - 42
bake -- August 2013 - 43
bake -- August 2013 - Hispanic Cakes Go Upscale
bake -- August 2013 - 45
bake -- August 2013 - 46
bake -- August 2013 - 47
bake -- August 2013 - 48
bake -- August 2013 - 49
bake -- August 2013 - Cafe - Tapping into smaller households
bake -- August 2013 - 51
bake -- August 2013 - 52
bake -- August 2013 - 53
bake -- August 2013 - Products
bake -- August 2013 - Product Showcase
bake -- August 2013 - 56
bake -- August 2013 - Classifieds
bake -- August 2013 - Ad Index
bake -- August 2013 - 59
bake -- August 2013 - 60
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