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Kouign-amann
Douarnenez's caramelised butter-and-sugar pastry
FrenchKouign-amann (say 'kween-ah-MAHN', Breton for 'butter cake') was created in the fishing port of Douarnenez in the 1860s, reportedly by a baker who folded butter and sugar into bread dough when flour was short. Today Breton bakeries sell it as a rich treat for afternoon coffee: flaky layers of bread dough with butter and sugar folded through, baked until the sugar melts into a dark, crunchy caramel. This home version makes individual ones in a muffin tin. It takes an afternoon, mostly waiting time. Chef's tip: keep the dough and butter cold between every fold; warm butter is the common mistake and it oozes out, so you lose the layers.
- Total time
- 235 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz strong white bread flour
- ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast1 sachet
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
- ½ oz buttermelted
For the layers
- 7 oz salted buttercold
- 7 oz caster sugarplus 2 tbsp for the tin
- ⅔ oz buttersoftened, for the tin
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz strong white bread flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast and 1 tsp salt in a bowl. Add ¾ cup lukewarm water and ½ oz butter and knead for 8–10 minutes, until smooth and springy. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled.
10 minStep 2: Put 7 oz salted butter between two sheets of baking paper and bash and roll it into a 15 cm square. Chill until firm but bendable.
Step 3: Knock back the dough and roll it into a 30 cm square. Lay the butter diagonally in the centre and fold the corners of the dough over it like an envelope, pinching the seams.
Step 4: Roll into a 20 × 45 cm rectangle and fold in three like a letter. Wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 5: Roll out and fold in three again, then chill for 20 minutes more.
20 minStep 6: Sprinkle the work surface with half of 7 oz caster sugar. Roll the dough over it into a 20 × 45 cm rectangle, scatter the rest of the sugar on top, and fold in three for the last time. Roll into a 30 × 40 cm rectangle about 5 mm thick.
Step 7: Cut into 12 squares (10 cm). Fold the four corners of each square into the middle and press them down.
Step 8: Brush a 12-hole muffin tin with ⅔ oz butter and sprinkle each hole with a little sugar. Put a pastry in each, cover loosely and leave for 30–40 minutes, until puffy.
35 minStep 9: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Bake for 25–30 minutes, until deep amber and the sugar is bubbling around the edges; pale ones won't be crisp.
28 minStep 10: Leave in the tin for 2 minutes only, then lift them out onto baking paper while the caramel is still runny, or they will stick. Eat the same day, slightly warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 41 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kouign-amann take?
- About 235 minutes in total: 200 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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