Kouign-amann Recipe

Hardware

• Large muffin tin(s)
• Baking sheet as least as large as your muffin tin
• kitchen scale
• a tape measure (I use a bench scraper with measuring marks on it)

Ingredients

For Dough

• 28 grams (~2 Tablespoons) European Butter (at least 82% fat)
• 38 grams (~3 Tablespoons) granulated sugar
• 5 grams (~1 teaspoon) kosher salt
• 12 grams (~1 Tablespoon) active dry yeast
• 360 grams (3 cups) all purpose flour (plus more for dusting the rolling surface)

For Butter Block

• 340 grams (3 sticks) European Butter (at least 82% fat)
• 100 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
• 5 grams (~1 teaspoon) kosher salt

1. Butter a large bowl with 1 Tablespoon European butter and set aside.
2. Sprinkle yeast over ¼ cup warm water (100° – 115°) in a large bowl. Whisk to dissolve and let stand until foamy – about 5 minutes.
3. Add sugar, salt, flour, butter & ¾ cup COLD water to the yeast mixture.
4. Turn mixer on lowest speed, increase to medium-low and mix until the dough comes together. It will be shaggy dough.
5. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until soft and supple – about 5 minutes. Dough will still be slightly sticky.
6. Shape dough into a ball and place in prepared bowl. Turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm area until doubled in size. About 1 – 1½ hours.
7. Punch down dough and knead a couple of times in the bowl.
8. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in the refrigerator until doubled in size. About 45 minutes to an hour this time.
9. Turn dough onto floured surface and shape into a 6”x6” square. Wrap in plastic, place on a small baking sheet so it’s easier to handle, and place in freezer for 30-35 minutes.

1. In a stand mixer combine butter, sugar and salt until homogenous and waxy. Be sure there are no large butter lumps. Depending on your mixer and the temperature of the butter this should take between 3 and 5 minutes.
2. Scrape butter onto a large parchment sheet and shape into a 12”x6” rectangle.
3. Fold parchment over butter to form a tight envelope.

When you fold your parchment envelope, you’ll probably see that your butter is uneven. Use a rolling pin to push butter mixture into the corners of the envelope and roll to achieve uniform thickness. I flip it over to look for any big bubbles.

1. Place butter in refrigerator to chill until firm but still slightly soft. About half an hour.

Depending on how long my dough has been in the freezer I sometimes transfer it to the refrigerator so it doesn’t get too firm while the butter is chilling. The dough and butter should have about the same consistency for rolling and too-firm dough will crack when rolling.

Marrying the butter and the dough

1. Remove dough from freezer (or refrigerator) and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 19”x7” rectangle.
2. Remove butter block from refrigerator and place on the dough leaving ~1 inch border around the top and sides.
3. Fold the uncovered flap of dough over the lower half of the butter block. It will look like you are pulling the covers over the butter block.
4. Carefully fold the exposed portion of butter and dough down over the flap you just folded up. If butter looks like it will crack, press it back down flat and wait 5 minutes. When you’re done you should have a letter-folded piece of dough with butter inside.
5. Press the edges of the dough together to form a tight seal.
6. Rotate dough ¼ turn so the flap opening is on the right. (Probably counterclockwise)
7. Roll dough/butter into a 24”x8” rectangle.
8. Again fold into a letter by folding the closest ⅓ up toward the top and the top down over the flap.
9. Dust lightly with flour, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in freezer for 30 minutes. Transfer to refrigerator and chill for one hour longer.

10. Remove dough from refrigerator, unwrap on lightly floured surface with flap on the right.
11. Roll dough block into a 24”x8” rectangle.
12. Again fold into a letter by folding the closest ⅓ up toward the top and the top down over the flap.
13. Rotate dough envelope so the flap is again on the right and roll into a 24”x8” rectangle.
14. Sprinkle surface of dough with 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar. Press lightly to adhere so it doesn’t fall out in the next step.
15. Again fold into a letter by folding the closest ⅓ up toward the top and the top down over the flap.
16. Dust lightly with flour, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in freezer for 30 minutes. Transfer to refrigerator and chill for one hour longer.

17. Lightly butter your muffin tin. Divide ¼ cup of sugar between muffin cups and turn to evenly coat. (I do this over the sink.) Set aside in a cool place.
18. Remove dough from refriegerator, unwrap on lightly floured surface with flap on the right.
19. Roll dough/butter into a 17”x13” rectangle.
20. Using a pizza cutter, trim ½” from around the edges so you end up with a 16”x12” rectangle. (The trimmed dough can be formed into strips like bread sticks and baked on a cookie sheet. This is “our” treat the night before.)
21. Sprinkle surface of dough with 4 Tablespoons granulated sugar. Press lightly to adhere.

I have been cutting my dough into 4” squares for some time, but my muffin cups are not big enough and tend to overflow. The photos show me cutting 12 squares, but for the last batch I cut 20 rectangles (about 3” on each side) out of the dough and they baked up better. Take a look at my muffin tin and decide what you should do. If you have big muffin tins pretend I never said anything.

17. Cut dough into 12 (or 20) rectangles.
18. Lift the four corners of each dough rectangle and press into the center. Place each scrunched rectangle into a muffin cup.
19. Cover pan(s) with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8-12 hours.

Baking

1. Cover a large sheet pan with aluminum foil and place on lowest oven rack. This will catch any butter that overflows from your muffin tins.
2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Do not pull the kouign-amann from the fridge until your oven is fully warmed.
3. Remove muffin tins from refrigerator, sprinkle kouign-amann with 2 Tablespoons sugar.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Now is a good time to brew the tea and make coffee because the smell of cooking kouign-amann is going to wake everyone in the house.

1. Remove pans from oven and IMMEDIATELY remove kouign-amann to a cooling rack. If you let them cool, the sugar will glue kouign-amann to the muffin tin.