Homemade Kouign-Amann Recipe

a kouign amann pastry on a black surface

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4.67 from 15 reviews

Homemade Kouign-Amann Recipe

Eileen Gray

Kouign-Amann is a crisp, buttery, sweet and delicious treat made with layers of yeasted dough, butter and sugar.

Prep Time2

Bake Time30

Rising Time3

Total Time5 30

Servings:12 servings

Ingredients

Dough

6 ounces warm water (3/4 cup)
2 ¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast
1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
10 ounces all purpose flour (2 cups, see note)
1 teaspoon table salt
1 ounce salted European butter (room temperature)

Laminating

8 ounces salted European butter (room temperature)
8 ounces granulated sugar (1 cup)

Instructions

Dough

In a measuring cup, mix the water with the yeast and the sugar.
Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or into a large mixing bowl. With the mixer running, toss in the softened butter. Run the mixer on low briefly to distribute the butter. If working by hand, work in the butter with your fingers.
With the mixer running on low, add the liquid all at once and mix until it is mostly absorbed. Switch to the dough hook. If working by hand stir the liquid in until it’s mostly absorbed.
Knead on medium for 5 minutes. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl and cling to the hook. Alternately, knead by hand for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and supple.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise at room temperature until double in size, about 1-1 ½ hours. Meanwhile, prepare the butter packet.

Butter Packet

Draw an 8" square in the center of a ½ sheet size parchment paper. Flip the paper over so the ink is on the back.
Place the butter in the middle of the square. Fold the parchment over the butter. Use a rolling pin or other heavy object (I use the flat side of a meat tenderizer) to flatten the butter to fill the 8"x 8" square. You can lift the paper if it sticks. Trim and rearrange the edges of the butter as needed. Fold the butter into the parchment and place in the refrigerator. The butter should be firm and cool but a little flexible for layering into the dough.

Laminate

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Do not knead out the air. Pat the dough to a 10" square and pull from each of the four sides to form a flap of dough, leaving the center thicker than the flaps. You should end up with a square with four "flaps" coming out from the sides.
Unwrap the butter packet and place it in the middle of the square. Fold the flaps so they overlap and enclose the butter, pinching in the corners as necessary to glue the seams together. You should now have an 8" square of dough with the butter enclosed.
Use the rolling pin to gently press on the square to flatten it. Roll the dough to a 8" x 24" rectangle. Take your time to roll gently and evenly so the butter stays in one layer in the dough.
Orient the dough so the long side of the rectangle is facing you. Brush off any excess flour. Fold the right ⅓ of the dough towards the middle then fold the left ⅓ of dough over enclosing it like a letter. This is the first "turn". At this point if the dough is very tight or the butter is soft, refrigerate for 30 minutes. If the dough is still easy to work and the butter is cold go ahead with the next step.
Orient the dough so the closed edge is on the top side and the open edge is facing you. Roll the dough to an 8" x 24" rectangle. Brush off any excess flour and again fold the dough like a letter. This is the second "turn". Set the dough on a sheet pan, cover with plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to an 8" x 24" rectangle. Sprinkle ⅓ cup of granulated sugar evenly over the dough. Fold the dough like a letter. At this point if the dough is very tight or the butter is soft, refrigerate for 30 minutes. If the dough is still easy to work and the butter is cold go ahead with the next step.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough to an 8" x 24" rectangle. Sprinkle ⅓ cup of the granulated sugar evenly over the dough. Fold the dough like a letter. Wrap the dough and place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. I like to leave it overnight and finish making the pastries in the morning.

Assembly

Generously butter a 10” round springform cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment OR butter a 6 cup jumbo muffin pan OR a 12 cup standard muffin pan. Dust with sugar to coat. Shake out any excess.
If using a 10” round pan, roll the dough to a 10" square, Trim the corners to form a 10" round and set it into the pan. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the dough. Cover the pan and leave the dough to rise for 1 - 1 ½ hours. (The dough scraps can be formed into a loose round and baked as a treat for the chef.)
If using a jumbo muffin pan, lightly sprinkle the work surface with granulated sugar and roll the dough to a 15" x 10" rectangle. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the top of the dough and pat it in with your hands. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough into a 3x2 grid. You will now have six 5" squares.
If using a standard muffin pan, lightly sprinkle the work surface with granulated sugar and roll the dough out to a 16" x 12" rectangle. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the top of the dough and pat it in with your hands. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough into a 3x4 grid. You will now have twelve 4" squares.
Grasp the 4 sides of a square and bring them together in the center. Set the dough into a muffin cup with the points up (see photo). Repeat with the other squares. Cover the tray and leave it to rise for 1 - 1 ½ hours. The pastries will not double in size but should come to room temperature and puff up a bit to fill the pan.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 °F (350 °F for 10" cake). Place a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom rack of the oven to catch butter and sugar overflow.
Bake the pastries in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes for standard muffins, 35 minutes for jumbo muffins and 45-50 minutes for a 10" round. The center of the 10" round should feel quite firm when you press on the top.
As soon as they come out of the oven, flip the pan to release the pastries onto a cooling rack. If you find the muffins in the center cups of the pan are not well browned on the bottom, put them back into the pan and bake for another 5-7 minutes. Allow them to cool completely, upside-down. For the 10" pan, as soon as the cake comes out of the oven run a paring knife around the sides and release the sides of the pan. Cool completely before removing the bottom of the pan and the parchment.

Notes

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.

Nutrition