Kouign Amann Breton Butter Cake Recipes

KOUIGN-AMANN

Steps:

• Combine water, sugar, and yeast in a bowl. Let rest until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Add melted butter, 2 cups flour, and salt to the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon to form a very sticky dough. Dust your work surface with remaining 1/2 cup flour.
• Turn dough out onto the floured counter. Knead, folding in the excess flour as needed, until dough is soft, slightly sticky, and elastic. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Combine sugar and most of the sea salt together in a bowl. Mix, taste, and add more salt as needed.
• Butter a 12-cup muffin tin. Spoon some of the seasoned sugar into the cups and shake to coat. Turn tin over and return excess sugar to the bowl.
• Transfer dough onto a floured surface and press into a rough rectangle. Roll dough into a rectangle about 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick. Grate cold butter onto the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Flatten butter using lightly floured hands. Fold rectangle widthwise into thirds. Press gently to square out the edges. Place dough onto a silicone-lined baking sheet. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Roll dough into a large rectangle again, pulling and stretching the corners as needed. Grate the second stick of butter over the surface. Pat down with floured fingers and fold into thirds. Roll back out into a rectangle and fold into thirds. Repeat rolling and folding one more time. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Sprinkle a generous amount of the seasoned sugar onto your work surface. Place dough onto the sugar and sprinkle more sugar on top. Roll into a large rectangle about 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick, turning and topping with sugar between rolls.
• Use a pizza cutter to trim away uneven edges. Cut dough into 12 even pieces. Sprinkle more sugar on top. Lightly pinch each pastry into a crown shape by bringing all four corners to the center; place into the muffin cups. Sprinkle more sugar on top. Let rest for 10 minutes.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned and puffed, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer onto a cooling rack while still hot. Let cool for 15 minutes.

KOUIGN AMANN (BRETON BUTTER CAKE)

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in 1⁄3 cup lukewarm water in a large bowl. Set aside until yeast begins to activate (it will foam a little), about 10 minutes.
• Add salt and 1 cup flour to yeast mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add 1⁄3 cup water, and when well blended, add remaining 1 cup flour and another 2⁄3 cup water. Stir until dough forms into a ball, then transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead with the heels of your palms until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Coat the inside of a large bowl with butter, place dough in bowl, and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Set aside to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450°. Grease a 9" pie pan with butter and dust with flour. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface into a large rectangle, about 12" × 18", with the shorter side nearest you.
• Cut chilled stick of butter into 10-12 pieces. Dot middle portion of dough with butter pieces and sprinkle with 3⁄4 cup of the sugar. Working quickly, fold short sides toward the center, over the butter and sugar. Edges should slightly overlap. Sprinkle dough with sugar and roll over seams to seal. Turn dough again so that the shorter side is nearest you and fold into thirds, as you would a letter. Let dough rest 15 minutes in refrigerator.
• Sprinkle work surface with sugar. Roll out dough, dusting with 1⁄4 cup sugar as you go, into a large rectangle. Fold into thirds again and let dough rest another 15 minutes in refrigerator.
• Again sprinkle work surface with sugar. Roll out dough, dusting with remaining 1⁄4 cup sugar, into a square slightly larger than pie pan. Ease dough into pan. Melt remaining 3 tbsp. butter, and drizzle over dough. Sprinkle with sugar and bake until golden, 35-40 minutes. Remove from pan while hot and serve warm.

CLASSIC KOUIGN-AMANN

Steps:

• Dissolve the Yeast
• Combine 2 Tbsp. warm tap water in a medium bowl and whisk in the yeast to dissolve. Set aside until the mixture is cloudy and slightly puffed, about 5 minutes.
• Make the Dough
• Add ⅓ cup room temperature water to the bowl, then add the flour, melted and cooled unsalted butter, sugar, and salt. Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until you have a shaggy dough. Knead the dough by hand in the bowl several times to bring it together, then turn it out onto a clean work surface and continue to knead by hand, adding a sprinkle of flour only if the dough is sticking to your hands and/or the surface, until you have a very smooth, supple, and soft dough, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Proof the Dough
• Gather the dough into a ball and dust lightly with flour. Place it inside the same bowl and take a photo so you can gauge how the dough rises over time. Cover it with a damp kitchen towel and let sit it in a warm spot until the ball has nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1¼ hours.
• Make the Butter Block
• While the dough is rising, place the pieces of chilled, salted butter in a mound on a sheet of parchment paper, then fold the sides of the parchment up and over the butter. Use a rolling pin to beat the butter firmly but gently, flattening it into a single layer about ¼-inch thick (beating the cold butter makes it pliable without also making it soft and sticky). Unfold the parchment paper and use a small offset or regular spatula to spread the butter into a 6-inch square, squaring off the corners and straightening the edges, too. Fold the parchment around the butter again to completely enclose it (like you're wrapping a gift), eliminating any air pockets, and creating a neat square packet. Turn the packet over so the folds of the parchment are facing down and roll across the butter block in both directions with your rolling pin to flatten and even out the thickness. Refrigerate the butter while the dough is rising.
• Punch Down and Chill the Dough
• When the dough has nearly doubled, use a fist to lightly punch it down to expel some of the gases produced during the first rise. Turn out the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and flatten with the heel of your hand, also tugging on it to create a square shape about 7 inches across. Wrap the dough in parchment paper like a present, just as you did the butter, and roll across it in both directions several times with the pin to even out the thickness. Transfer the dough to the freezer and chill until the dough is very firm but not frozen, about 5 minutes. Remove the butter block from the refrigerator and let it warm slightly at room temperature while the dough chills.
• Enclose the Butter Block
• Remove the dough from the freezer, unwrap, and place on a lightly floured surface (save the piece of parchment for wrapping the dough again later). Unwrap the butter just so the top is exposed, and, using the sides of the parchment paper, turn the block over and place it on top of the dough, positioning it so it looks like a diamond set onto the dough square, with the points of the butter aligning with the midpoints of the sides of the dough. Peel off the parchment paper and discard. Fold each of the four corners of the dough inward one at a time toward the center of the butter block. They should easily meet and overlap slightly in the center and along the sides. Pinch the dough together firmly along all the seams so they seal.
• Roll and Fold the Dough 2 Times
• Dust more flour underneath and on top of the dough, which should now completely encase the butter block. Use the rolling pin to lightly beat the dough to flatten and lengthen slightly, then roll out the dough, working it both toward and away from you, to elongate it into a rectangle that's about three times longer than it is wide and about ¼-inch thick (the exact dimensions aren't important). Dust the underside with more flour only as needed, and do your best to keep the edges squared-off.
• Brush off any excess flour and sprinkle the surface of the dough lightly with some of the remaining ½ cup sugar. Fold the dough in thirds like a letter, first lifting up the bottom third and pressing it into the center, then folding down the top third. This rolling and folding process is called a "turn," and it creates the layers of butter and dough that make a flaky pastry.
• Rotate the dough 90 degrees counterclockwise, dust with a bit more flour if needed, and repeat the rolling out and folding process with a little more sugar. This is your second turn.
• Chill the Dough
• Wrap the dough in the reserved piece of parchment paper and refrigerate until the dough is firm and relaxed, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Prepare the Pan
• Lightly brush the bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan with some of the 3 tablespoons melted, cooled butter. Press a fresh piece of parchment paper into the bottom of the pan and up the sides, flattening and smoothing the parchment where it overlaps and creases around the sides. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the remaining melted butter in the bottom of the pan and use a brush to coat the sides with some of the butter, making sure the entire bottom of the pan is covered as well (the remaining butter is reserved for the top). Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the remaining ½ cup of sugar across the bottom of the pan and shake to distribute, then set aside.
• Do the Final "Turn"
• Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and unwrap (reserve the parchment). Place on a lightly floured surface so the flap is facing up and the edge of the flap is on the right (if you were to unfold the dough, you would open it to your left like a book).
• Roll out the dough again into a long rectangle just as you did before, dusting underneath with more flour if needed. Lightly sprinkle some of the remaining sugar across the surface of the dough and fold in thirds again. Wrap in parchment again and chill until the dough is firm and relaxed, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Roll Out the Dough
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and unwrap (save the parchment, one last time). Roll out on a very lightly floured surface into a thin square measuring about 15 inches across. Slide the dough onto the reserved parchment paper. Fold the 4 corners inward so they meet in the center, then push the four newly-formed corners toward the center with your hands to create a round. Roll out the dough in all directions until you have a 9-inch round, then use the parchment paper to help you flip over the dough and place upside-down in the prepared pan. Brush the surface of the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter and sprinkle with any remaining sugar.
• Proof Again
• Cover the pan loosely with a damp towel and let sit at room temperature until the dough is puffed and slightly risen, 45 minutes to 1 hour. (Alternatively, the covered pan can be refrigerated up to 12 hours. Do not let it rise at room temperature before baking, as the rise will happen slowly in the refrigerator. Transfer directly to the preheated oven.)
• Preheat the Oven
• Arrange an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Bake and Cool
• Uncover the pan and transfer to the oven. Immediately reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake until the kouign-amann is deep golden brown and caramel is bubbling around the sides, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Place a wire rack upside-down over the pan and invert. Tug on the ends of the parchment to dislodge the kouign-amann from the pan and turn out. Remove the parchment paper and let cool completely before slicing into wedges.

KOUIGN AMANN (BRETON CARAMELIZED CAKE)

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water with a pinch of sugar. Stir briefly, then let stand for 10 minutes until foamy. Gradually stir the flour and salt. The dough should be soft, but not too sticky.
• Lightly dust your countertop with flour and transfer the dough onto it. Knead the dough with your hands until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, knead in just enough flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough doesn't stick to your hands.
• Brush a medium bowl with melted butter, put the dough ball into the bowl. Cover, and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour. Meanwhile, line a dinner plate with plastic wrap and set aside.
• On a lightly floured countertop, roll the dough into a rectangle about 12" x 18" with the shorter sides to your left and right. The dough may be sticky and difficult to handle. Use a metal pastry scraper to coax the dough into shape, and a minimal sprinkling of flour, as necessary.
• Distribute the butter in the center of the dough and sprinkle with ¼ cup (50 gr) of sugar. Grab the left side of the dough, lift and fold it over the center, than do the same with the right side (like a letter). You should have what resembles a 3-level pastry. Sprinkle the entire length of the dough with ¼ cup (50 gr) of sugar and (without rolling) fold again into thirds, as before.
• Place on the plastic wrap-covered dinner plate and chill for 1 hour. (At this point, wipe excess flour from the countertop and dust the countertop with a rather liberal handful of sugar for rolling out the pastry again.).
• Once chilled, remove dough from refrigerator. Ease it away from the plastic onto the sugar-covered countertop. Top the dough with ¼ cup (50 gr) of sugar, press it in a bit with your hands, and roll into a rectangle for the last time. Again, fold into thirds and let rest in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425° F (220° C) and brush a 9-inch (23cm) pie plate, preferably non-stick, with melted butter. Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll dough into a circle about the size of the baking pan. It will be sticky; dusting the top with a sprinkle of sugar will help.
• Once rolled, lift the dough and coax it into the pan. (It will want to break. If so, fold it in half and quickly slide something flat under it, like the metal bench scrape AND a metal spatula and quickly slip it into the pan. If it does break, just piece it back together in the pan.) Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup (50 gr) of sugar and drizzle with 1 tablespoon melted butter.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is deeply caramelized. Let stand a few minutes, then run a spatula around the edges to release the Kouign Amann and slide the cake from the pan onto a cooling rack.