Kouign Amann Recipes

KOUIGN-AMANN RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, ¼ cup (2oz/57g) sugar, yeast, and ¾ teaspoon salt together. Stir in the water and 2 tablespoons of butter, and knead for 5 minutes, until the dough is soft and a little tacky. You can do this step by hand or by using a stand mixer.
• Place in a large greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1½ hours or until doubled in size.
• Punch down, cover and refrigerate for about an hour, or until doubled in size again.
• While the dough is on its second rise, beat the 1½ cups (12oz/341g) butter with the ½ cup (4oz/115g) sugar and ¾ teaspoon salt. On a piece of parchment paper, spread the butter into a 12x6-inch (30x15cm) rectangle, wrap well and refrigerate.
• Once the dough has risen for the second time, on a floured surface roll the dough into a 12x6-inch (30x15cm) rectangle, wrap well, and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until chilled and firm.
• Once both the dough and butter are cold and firm, on a floured surface, roll the dough to a 20 x 8-inch (50 x 20cm) rectangle.
• Place the chilled butter in the center third of the dough rectangle and fold the dough up like a letter.
• Roll the dough into a 24 x 8-inch (61 x 20cm) rectangle, and fold in thirds again, like a letter. Repeat this rolling and folding 2 more times, for a total of 3 times.
• Roll the dough out to a 24 x 8-inch (61 x 20cm) rectangle for the fourth time, and this time, sprinkle the surface of the dough with 2 tablespoons of sugar, fold into thirds (like a letter), wrap well and refrigerate for at least an hour, or until very firm.
• When ready to assemble the Kouign-Amann, grease a muffin tin and place a ½ cup (4oz/115g) of sugar on a plate near you.
• On a floured surface, roll the dough to a 12 x 16-inch (30x40cm) rectangle and divide the dough into 12 squares.
• For each square, press the dough on both sides into the sugar on the plate, then squeeze the corners of the dough together and place in a muffin cup. Cover the filled tin with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough overnight.
• The next morning, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
• Sprinkle the pastries with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastries are a deep golden brown.
• Immediately remove the Kouign-Amann from the tin and let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
• Best enjoyed the day they are baked. Store leftovers, loosely covered, at room temperature, for up to 3 days.

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

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine mineral water and salt. Let stand until salt has dissolved. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine flour and the melted butter on low speed. Add water-and-salt mixture, and continue to mix until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add yeast, and mix for 1 minute more.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch the dough down, wrap in plastic, and place on a baking sheet. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Meanwhile, on a Silpat (a French nonstick baking mat) or parchment paper, roll the remaining 1 pound butter into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Wrap in parchment paper, and return to refrigerator until chilled, about 30 minutes. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to an 18-inch square. Center the chilled butter rectangle on the dough so that each side of the butter faces a corner of the dough. Fold the corners of the dough over the butter to enclose. Seal the edges by pinching them together. Roll the dough into a 24-by-8-inch rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds, aligning the edges carefully and brushing off any excess flour. (The object is to ensure that the butter is distributed evenly throughout so that the pastry will puff evenly when baked.) Wrap the dough in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes; this completes one turn.
• Repeat process once, then repeat process twice, dusting the work surface and the dough with sugar, and using 1 1/2 cups for each turn. You will now have completed four turns.
• Using a pastry brush, brush 15 ring molds (3 1/2 by 3/4 inches) with melted butter. Transfer to prepared baking sheets, and set aside. Remove dough from refrigerator. On a lightly sugared surface, roll the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Cut into 15 squares (4 1/4 inches). Fold up the corners of one square toward the center; repeat process. Lightly press to adhere. Turn square over, and gently coat with sugar. Invert, and place in a prepared ring mold. Repeat with remaining squares.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Let rise in a warm place until puffed, 30 to 40 minutes. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Immediately remove ring molds, and place on a wire rack until completely cooled.

MARTHA'S KOUIGN-AMANN

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine water and yeast. Stir until yeast dissolves.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine flour, salt, and 2 tablespoons melted butter on low speed. Add yeast mixture, and mix until well combined, about 2 minutes.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch dough down, shape into a rectangle, cover in plastic wrap, and place on a baking sheet. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Meanwhile, on a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper, roll the remaining pound of butter into an 8-inch square, between 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick. Wrap in parchment paper, and let rest at cool room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough into a 12-inch square. Center butter square over the dough so that each side of the butter faces a corner of the dough. Fold the corners of the dough over the butter to enclose. Seal the edges by pinching together. Turn over dough, seam-side down. Roll into a 24-by-8-inch rectangle. Fold dough into thirds, aligning edges carefully and brushing off excess flour. (The object is to ensure that the butter is distributed evenly throughout so that the pastry will puff evenly when baked.) This completes one turn.
• Repeat the process of rolling and folding once. Chill for 20 minutes, just until cold but not firm. Then repeat process twice, dusting work surface and dough generously with sugar, about 2 cups sugar total for the 2 turns. You will now have completed 4 turns. Refrigerate dough 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, using a pastry brush, brush 18 (4-by-3/4-inch) ring molds with melted butter. Transfer to 2 baking sheets lined with nonstick baking mats and set aside.
• On a sugared surface, roll chilled dough into a 12 1/2-by-24 1/2-inch rectangle, about 1/2-inch-thick. Cut into eighteen 4-inch squares. Fold the corners of one square toward center; repeat process. Lightly press to adhere. Turn square over, and gently coat with sugar. Invert, and place in a prepared ring mold. Repeat with remaining squares. Let dough rise, covered, in a warm place until puffed, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Immediately remove ring molds, and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

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.

THE REAL KOUIGN AMAN

Steps:

• Prepare Bread Dough . Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Roll out the bread dough to an 11-inch circle. In a mixer or food processor, thoroughly blend the sugar with the butter. Pat the mixture into a rectangle that measures about 7 x 4 inches, and place it in the center of the dough. Fold the dough over the butter mixture on all four sides, as if you were forming an envelope. Brush any excess flour from the dough, gently press the seams together, and roll the dough and butter/sugar packet out to a rectangle that measures about 11 x 6-inch rectangle. Brush any excess flour off the dough and fold it from the short end into thirds, like a business letter, brushing flour off each surface as you fold. Repeat this process two more times, rolling very gently so you don't push the butter and sugar through the dough. The third turn is the trickiest - do it carefully, dusting the dough lightly with flour if necessary, to keep the rolling pin from sticking to any spots where the butter might peek through (an inevitability with this dough...).
• Roll out the dough to a rectangle that is about 11 x 6 inches, and a shy 1/2-inch thick. Whisk together the egg and water, and brush it lightly on the dough. Sprinkle it with the 2 tablespoons of sugar, then score the top of the it into large squares with a sharp knife. Transfer it to a baking dish or sheet with edges, so the butter and sugar that runs from the dough as it bakes won't drip on the bottom of the oven and burn. It is best to use a baking sheet or dish that is just slightly larger than the dough.
• Bake in the center of the oven until the pastry is golden and crisp on top, and the sugar and butter that has run from it is deeply caramelized at the edges, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes, then cut it into serving pieces and transfer these to a serving dish or platter.

KOUIGN-AMANN

Steps:

• Make Dough
• Brush a large bowl with butter. Whisk yeast and 1/4 cup very warm water (110°F-115°F) in another large bowl to dissolve. Let stand until yeast starts to foam, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons butter, and 3/4 cup cold water. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding flour as needed, until dough is supple, soft, and slightly tacky, about 5 minutes.
• Proof Dough Twice
• Place dough in prepared bowl and turn to coat with butter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, place in a warm, draft-free spot, and let dough rise until doubled in size, 1-1 1/2 hours. (This process of resting and rising is known as proofing.) Punch down dough and knead lightly a few times inside bowl. Cover again with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator until dough is again doubled in size, 45-60 minutes.
• Shape & Chill Dough
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 6x6" square. Wrap in plastic and chill in freezer until dough is very firm but not frozen, 30-35 minutes. (Heads up: You'll want it to be about as firm as the chilled butter block in step 5.)
• Mix & Form Butter Block
• Beat 12 ounces butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt with an electric mixer on low speed just until homogeneous and waxy-looking, about 3 minutes. Scrape butter mixture onto a large sheet of parchment. Shape into a 12x6" rectangle 1/4" thick.
• Wrap & Chill Butter Block
• Neatly wrap up butter, pressing out air. Roll packet gently with a rolling pin to push butter into corners and create an evenly thick rectangle. Chill in refrigerator until firm but pliable, 25-30 minutes.
• Roll Out Dough & Enclose Butter Block
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a 19x7" rectangle (a bit wider and about 50 percent longer than the butter block). Place butter block on upper two-thirds of dough, leaving a thin border along top and sides. Fold dough like a letter: Bring lower third of dough up and over lower half of butter. Then fold exposed upper half of butter and dough over lower half (butter should bend, not break). Press edges of dough to seal, enclosing butter.
• Make First Turn
• Rotate dough package 90°F counterclockwise so flap opening is on your right. Roll out dough, dusting with flour as needed, to a 24x8" rectangle about 3/8" thick. Fold rectangle into thirds like a letter (as in step 6), bringing lower third up, then upper third down (this completes the first turn). Dust dough lightly with flour, wrap in plastic, and chill in freezer until firm but not frozen, about 30 minutes. Transfer to refrigerator; continue to chill until very firm, about 1 hour longer. (Freezing dough first cuts down on chilling time.)
• Make Second & Third Turns
• Place dough on surface so flap opening is on your right. Roll out dough, dusting with flour as needed, to a 24x8" rectangle, about 3/8" thick. Fold into thirds (same way as before), rotate 90°F counterclockwise so flap opening is on your right, and roll out again to a 24x8" rectangle. Sprinkle surface of dough with 2 tablespoons sugar; fold into thirds. Dust lightly with flour, wrap in plastic, and chill in freezer until firm but not frozen, about 30 minutes. Transfer to refrigerator; continue to chill until very firm, about 1 hour longer.
• Roll Out & Cut Dough
• Place dough on surface so flap opening is on your right. Roll out dough, dusting with flour as needed, to a rectangle slightly larger than 16x12". Trim to 16x12". Cut into 12 squares (you'll want a 4x3 grid). Brush excess flour from dough and surface.
• Form & Proof Kouign-Amann
• Lightly coat muffin cups with nonstick spray. Sprinkle squares with a total of 1/4 cup sugar, dividing evenly, and press gently to adhere. Turn over and repeat with another 1/4 cup sugar, pressing gently to adhere. Shake off excess. Lift corners of each square and press into the center. Place each in a muffin cup. Wrap pans with plastic and chill in refrigerator at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours (dough will be puffed with slightly separated layers).
• Bake Kouign-Amann
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Unwrap pans and sprinkle kouign-amann with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, dividing evenly. Bake until pastry is golden brown all over and sugar is deeply caramelized, 25-30 minutes (make sure to bake pastries while dough is still cold). Immediately remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack; let cool.