Kouign-amann
Kouign-amann is a traditional cake from Brittany. the name means butter cake in Breton (Kouign = cake, amann = butter). It is a sort of caramelized millefeuille, crunchy on the outside and melting in the middle.
153 K 4.2/5 (25 reviews)
6 hours 40 min.
Average
4.05 €
2 cakes
8 IngredientsLast modified on: May 24th 2018
For 2 cakes, you will need:
- 1
400 g flour - 2
15 g salt - 3
10 g yeast - 4
20 g butter - 5
200 ml water - 6 320 g butter
- 7
30 g vanilla sugar - 8
170 g caster sugar - Total weight: 1,165 grams
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 3 hours 8 min.
Resting: 3 hours
Cooking: 30 min.
All in all: 6 hours 40 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - ⌛ 7 min.
Stage 2 - ⌛ 2 hours
Gather the dough into a ball, put this into a bowl and cover it with a sheet of plastic. Leave to rest in a warm place for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Stage 3 - ⌛ 5 min.
After this, flatten the dough out into a rough rectangle with your hands.
Put it on a baking sheet, cover with a sheet of plastic and put in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Put it on a baking sheet, cover with a sheet of plastic and put in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Stage 4 - ⌛ 30 min.
Meanwhile, prepare the square of butter: Wrap 320 g butter (really cold) in a sheet of plastic film about 40cm x 40cm (16 x 16 inches), folding two sides in to halfway.
Pat with a rolling pin to begin flattening it out.
Pat with a rolling pin to begin flattening it out.
Stage 5
Fold the other two sides of the plastic inwards to halfway and pat the butter, then roll it until it fills the square you have made.
You should aim to have a flat square of butter 20cm x 20cm (8 x 8 inches), wrapped in plastic.
Put this square back in the fridge to wait.
You should aim to have a flat square of butter 20cm x 20cm (8 x 8 inches), wrapped in plastic.
Put this square back in the fridge to wait.
Stage 6 - ⌛ 15 min.
Roll out the dough into a rectangle the same width as the square of butter and twice as long.
Stage 7 - ⌛ 5 min.
Place the square of butter in the centre of the dough and fold in the ends to cover it completely.
Roll lightly with the rolling pin just to make the surface even.
Roll lightly with the rolling pin just to make the surface even.
Stage 8 - ⌛ 5 min.
Give the dough one quarter turn (90°), then roll it out lengthways.
Stage 9 - ⌛ 1 min.
Fold the two ends in towards the centre.
Stage 10 - ⌛ 1 min.
Then fold over in half.
Stage 11 - ⌛ 40 min.
This operation is called giving a double turn (or wallet turn). The drawing at the side shows the 3 stages of folding.
Put the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes, then give another double turn (making 2 in all), followed by a further 30 minutes in the freezer.
Put the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes, then give another double turn (making 2 in all), followed by a further 30 minutes in the freezer.
Stage 12 - ⌛ 2 min.
Mix 30 g vanilla sugar and 170 g caster sugar.
Stage 13 - ⌛ 2 min.
Roll out the dough lengthways and sprinkle with sugar. Roll lightly to embed this in the dough, then fold the dough as for the second stage of a double turn.
Stage 14 - ⌛ 1 hour 30 min.
Sprinkle the folded dough with more sugar, then fold as for the third stage of a double turn.
You will now have made a sugared double turn. Return to the freezer for 30 minutes.
Repeat this sugared double turn as often as necessary to use up all the sugar (usually 2 or 3 more).
You will now have made a sugared double turn. Return to the freezer for 30 minutes.
Repeat this sugared double turn as often as necessary to use up all the sugar (usually 2 or 3 more).
Stage 15 - ⌛ 10 min.
Finish the final double turn by rolling out the dough to about 1 or 0.5cm (0.4 or 0.2 inch) thick, then cut into two equal pieces.
Stage 16 - ⌛ 5 min.
Take a non-stick mould or tin (or line the bottom of an ordinary tin with a sheet of cooking parchment. Butter the bottom, sprinkle with sugar, then place the first piece of dough in the mould.
Sprinkle generously with sugar, then fold in the corners.
Do the same with the second piece of dough.
Sprinkle generously with sugar, then fold in the corners.
Do the same with the second piece of dough.
Stage 17 - ⌛ 30 min.
You can also make mini Kouign-amann by cutting out circles with a cutter.
Sprinkle these with sugar in the same way.
Leave the Kouign-amann, whether normal or mini, to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Sprinkle these with sugar in the same way.
Leave the Kouign-amann, whether normal or mini, to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Stage 18 - ⌛ 30 min.
Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).
Bake for around 30 minutes, watching for colouration.
Bake for around 30 minutes, watching for colouration.
Stage 19
If you are not using a non-stick mould, turn out while still hot to avoid the Kouign-amann sticking on the bottom.
Remarks
For the sugar, use caster sugar if possible as this is easier to incorporate into the dough.
Keeping: A few days in an airtight itn.
Source: Home-made, based on a recipe by Philippe Conticini.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 40 RDI=10 % | 620 RDI=40 % | 290 RDI=30 % | 4,780 RDI=180 % | 19,990 RDI: 180 % |
| Per 100 g | 3 RDI=1 % | 50 RDI=4 % | 20 RDI=3 % | 410 RDI=20 % | 1,720 RDI: 20 % |
| Per cakes | 20 RDI=6 % | 310 RDI=20 % | 150 RDI=20 % | 2,390 RDI=90 % | 10,000 RDI: 90 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 2 cakes : 4.10 €
- Per cakes : 2.05 €
Change currency:
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Flour
Like these other recipes: Ardéchois, Choux pastry (pâte à choux), Pretzels, Oat shortbread biscuits, French Family Cake, ... See them all 206
Water
Like these other recipes: Stewed apricots, Soup Cornouaillaise, Benoîton, Dandelion flower jelly, "Buttonhole" quail eggs, ... See them all 138
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Brioche dough, Caramelized apple "moelleux" cake, Blackcurrant jelly, Far Normandy-Brittany, Mulled apple juice, ... See them all 365
Vanilla sugar
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Diamond biscuits, Santiago Cake, Lemon tart, Gâteau Nantais, Pistachio tiramisu, ... See them all 83
Other recipes you may also like
Greek salad
This is a classy version of that perfect summer food, Greek salad. The only difficult part is the care and patience needed for dicing the vegetables. July 13th 2010209 K 14.9 60 min.
Leek and Mimolette tart
This baked tart has a shortcrust pastry case, filled with a layer of chopped, braised leeks topped with a bechamel sauce with eggs and Mimolette cheese. June 9th 202073 K4.1 1 hour 20 min.
Pork roast with herbs
A succulent joint of pork, slow-roasted with herbs and served with baby potatoes cooked in the meat juices. January 16th 201979 K 4 hours 40 min.
Chestnut cake
This delightful cake is doubly chestnutty: it contains chestnut flour, and sweet chestnut purée. August 28th 2025353 K5 1 hour 15 min.
Fruit crumble
A fruit pudding: very easy to do and delicious: just a layer of fruit with a golden crunchy topping. February 21th 2011371 K4.0 1 hour 15 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-11-30)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe (as 2 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.