Café au Lait
Equal parts freshly brewed coffee and hot milk — a soft, comforting French classic with less foam and more coffee than a latte.
By KAVOVOUpdated
- Dose
- 12 g
- Yield
- ≈360 ml
- Time
- 8 min
- Vessel
- Large cup or breakfast bowl, 350–450 ml
Ingredients
- 12 g freshly ground coffee
- 200 g filtered water
- 180 g whole milk or plant alternative
Equipment
- Filter coffee brewer
- Compatible filter
- Coffee grinder
- Digital scale
- Kettle
- Timer
- Small saucepan or milk pitcher
- Thermometer
Café au lait is brewed coffee and hot milk in roughly equal measure. There is no espresso and almost no foam — it is the gentlest way to drink coffee with milk, and the reason French breakfast bowls exist.
Steps
- Heat the filtered water to 92–96 °C.
- Grind the coffee to a medium consistency.
- Brew 12 g of coffee with 200 g of water in approximately 3–4 minutes.
- Heat the milk to 60–65 °C without bringing it to a boil.
- Create only a small amount of foam — the milk should remain mostly liquid.
- Pour approximately 180 g of brewed coffee into the serving vessel.
- Add an equal amount of hot milk and serve.
Barista tip
Café au lait is made with brewed coffee, not espresso. Keep the coffee and milk close to a 1:1 ratio.
Troubleshooting
The drink tastes too milky. Brew the coffee slightly stronger or reduce the milk.
The milk tastes cooked. Keep it below 70 °C.
The coffee tastes weak. Grind slightly finer or extend the brewing time.
