Kouign Amann is a simple pastry that packs a buttery, salty-sweet punch! The correct Kouign Amann pronunciation is KWEEN AH-MON. The Kouign Amann translation is “butter cake”, which hails from the Breton area of France. The shape is supposed to evoke royalty, resembling a crown.
This simplified Kouign Amann recipe, adapted from Food Wishes, is so pared down even the most novice baker can master this laminated pastry. At its core, it is a buttery, flaky pastry encased in sugar seasoned with salt. The seasoned sugar creates a crispy top and a slightly-gooey caramel bottom. You will not regret making these buttery beauties.
The science of butter lamination in Kouign Amann
Swapping a butter block with grated frozen butter makes lamination in this recipe even easier. Lamination involves folding and rolling butter into a dough repeatedly to create thin layers of dough and butter.
Water content in the chilled butter expands to create steam when placed in a hot oven, which creates air pockets and results in flaky pastry. Science for the win!
Kouign Amann are best served fresh from the oven. Unfortunately, they are not the same pastry after they go cold. However, I found that you can reheat them in a toaster oven to restore them pretty closely to their original glory.
They would make an excellent addition to a breakfast table or afternoon tea. I would eat these pretty much any time, any day of the week though! Even if you don’t make them yourself, I hope you get to try this indulgent pastry at some point in your life.
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Tips:
These are best eaten fresh. However, if you do have leftovers, I recommend reheating them in a toaster oven for a few minutes to get them as close to their original caramelized form as possible!
Remove these from the tin immediately to prevent sticking!
📖 Recipe
Kouign-Amann
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup warm water 110°F-115°F
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 2 ½ cups bread flour divided, more as needed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 oz unsalted butter (2 sticks, 226g) frozen
Seasoned sugar
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
For brushing the pan
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
- Combine water, sugar and yeast in a large bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add the melted butter, 2 cups of the bread flour and the salt. Mix with a wooden spoon until the flour is fully hydrated.
- Sprinkle remaining ½ cup bread flour onto your work surface. Turn out dough and coat in the bread flour. Knead until soft and elastic.
- Transfer to a buttered bowl, cover and proof for 90 minutes. While you wait, make the seasoned sugar by combining ⅔ cup sugar and 2 teaspoon salt.
- Brush the muffin tin with melted butter. Sprinkle some seasoned sugar to coat the tin evenly. Place the tin in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured work surface. Roll out into a rectangle about ⅛-¼ inch thick. You may need to stretch your dough into a rectangle shape, as it may not roll out perfectly rectangular.
- Grate 1 stick of frozen butter onto the dough, leaving a 1-inch unbuttered margin around the sides. Flour your hands and gently press the butter into the dough.
- Fold in thirds, like a letter (Fold #1). Square up the dough by pressing or pulling the sides, then transfer to a sheet pan, wrap it in plastic and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the fridge and roll it back out into a rectangle roughly the same size as the first one. Grate another stick of frozen butter leaving a 1-inch unbuttered margin around the sides. Flour your hands and gently press the butter into the dough.
- Make another letter fold (Fold #2), then roll it back out into a rectangle again. Make another letter fold (Fold #3), then roll it back out into a rectangle again. Make a final letter fold (Fold #4).
- Transfer to your sheet pan, wrap it in plastic again and chill it in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Sprinkle seasoned sugar generously on your work surface. Remove dough from the fridge and place onto seasoned sugar. Top with more seasoned sugar and roll out into a rectangle about ⅛-¼ inch thick, applying more seasoned sugar generously as you go. Work quickly, as the seasoned sugar will start drawing moisture out of the dough.
- Trim edges and make three vertical cuts and four horizontal cuts to create 12 squares. Place each square into the tin by joining the four corners to the center. Sprinkle more seasoned sugar onto each one.
- Let kouign amann sit 10 minutes and preheat oven to 375°F.
- After final proof, bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove kouign amann from the hot pan immediately. The caramel that the seasoned sugar created will harden if you leave them too long in the pan. Cool 15 minutes and then enjoy. These are best enjoyed fresh.
