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Gâteau breton
Salted butter cake
Gâteau breton or kouign brest, Brittany's salted-butter cake
Somewhere between a shortbread and a cake, gâteau breton is the big round that Breton bakeries cut into wedges for the road, and families buy one for the weekend or a picnic at the coast near Concarneau or Lorient. It is made from almost as much salted butter as flour, with lots of egg yolks, and baked thick so the edges are crisp and the middle is dense, moist and fudgy. The top is glazed and marked with a criss-cross pattern using a fork. Plain is traditional; some bakers add a layer of prune purée in the middle. Chef's tip: chill the dough in the tin before baking; it holds its pattern and bakes up with a sharp, shiny crust.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 9 oz salted buttersoft
- 7 oz caster sugar
- 5 egg yolksplus 1 more for the glaze
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 10 oz plain flour
- 1 egg yolk for glazingbeaten with 1 tsp milk
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Butter a 24 cm round cake tin, ideally loose-based. Beat 9 oz salted butter and 7 oz caster sugar for 3 minutes, until pale. Beat in 5 egg yolks one at a time, then 1 tsp vanilla extract.
5 minStep 2: Fold in 10 oz plain flour with a spatula to make a soft, sticky dough, just until no flour shows.
Step 3: Press the dough evenly into the tin with damp fingers or the back of a spoon, about 2.5 cm thick. Chill for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Brush the top with 1 egg yolk for glazing, then draw a criss-cross pattern across it with the tines of a fork.
Step 5: Bake for 35–40 minutes, until deep golden and shiny on top and a skewer in the centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Common mistake: waiting for a clean skewer as with a sponge; by then the cake is dry and loses its dense, fudgy middle.
40 minStep 6: Cool completely in the tin; it is fragile when warm. Cut into thin wedges. It keeps for a week wrapped and tastes better on day two.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gâteau breton take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of salted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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