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.
For rolling and folding I place masking tape on the countertop so I don't need to use rulers to measure each time I roll out the dough.
Tape 8 inches by 24 inches and 14 inches by 21 inches.
Refrigerate 20 minutes. Repeat the process of
rolling and folding twice more on work surface dusted with flour. Chill for 20
minutes after each, just until cold but not firm. Then repeat the rolling and folding
process once 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 3 1/4 inch rings, brush 24 rings 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. 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. Set aside.
On a sugared surface, roll chilled dough 14" by 21" and cut into 3 1/2 inch squares for 3 1/4 inch rings, about 1/2-inch-thick. Roll out 12" by 24" and cut into 3-inch
squares for muffin tins or roll out 16" by 20" and cut out 4 1/2 inch squares for 4 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.
