Kouign Amann

Back

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups water at room temperature

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons flaky sea salt, such   

  as Maldon

1 pound cool room-temperature French

  unsalted butter such as Vital Farms

2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

2 1/2 to 3 cups granulated sugar

Preparation:

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, draw an 8" square on parchment paper.  Roll the remaining pound of butter into the 8-inch square on parchment, between 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick.  Fold corners of  parchment paper towards center, 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.

Refrigerate 20 minutes. Repeat the process of rolling and folding once more on work surface dusted with flour. Chill for 20 minutes, just until cold but not firm. Then repeat the rolling and folding process twice more but dusting work surface and dough generously with sugar, about 1 to 2 cups sugar on the fourth turn. You will now have completed 4 turns. Refrigerate dough 20 minutes.  (It's easier to use sugar only on turn 4 and when rolling out to form pastry.)

If using muffin tins, using a pastry brush, brush 32 3-inch muffin tins generously with melted butter. Pastries tend to stick to bottom if you don't use enough butter.  If using 3 1/4 inch rings, brush 20 rings (plus 2 for scraps) generously with butter (but not too much) and set in a light silver colored cookie sheet. Dark cookie sheets burn bottoms of pastry.  Lightly butter cookie sheet under the rings.  Set aside.

On a sugared surface, roll chilled dough (12 by 24 inch rectangle for muffin tins; 16 by 20 inch for 4" rings and 19" by 15" for 3 1/4 inch rings), about 1/2-inch-thick. Cut into 3-inch squares for muffin tins or 4 1/2 inch squares for 4 inch rings; 3 3/4 inch squares for 3 inch rings. Fold the corners of one square toward center.  Lightly press to adhere. Turn square over onto sugared surface, gently coat bottom with sugar then turn back over and place in a prepared muffin tin or ring. Repeat with remaining squares. Cover pastries with plastic wrap sprayed with Pam to prevent sticking.  Let dough rise, covered, in a warm place or proofing oven until puffed, 60 to 75 minutes. Dough should slowly spring back when touched with a finger.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees non-convection.  Watch pastries and turn down oven temp if browning too much. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, on lower middle shelf of oven, until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 205 degrees. Immediately remove from rings or muffin tins, and place on a wire rack, upside down, to cool completely.

Variation:

Using 4 inch rings produce 18 large or 12 large and 12 small Kouign Amann.  Using 3 1/4 inch rings produces 22 pastries. 

History:

Recipe comes from Florian Bellager, Patisserie Chef for Fauchon in Paris, France.  Calories each for 4 inch size is 400.