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.
71,8174.4/5 for 22 ratings
Last modified on: May 24th 2018
For 4 cakes, you will need:
- 1
5 ¼ cups flour - 2
2 tablespoons salt - 3
1 ½ tablespoon yeast - 4
cup + 3 tablespoons butter - 5
1 ¾ cup water - 6 3 cups butter
- 7
1⁄3 cup Vanilla sugar - 8
1 ½ cup caster sugar
How long does it take?
Time required for this recipe:
Keeping: A few days in an airtight itn.
| Preparation | Resting | Cooking | Start to finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 hours 8 min. | 3 hours | 30 min. | 6 hours 38 min. |
At what time?
- When will I finish if I start the recipe at a certain time?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at a certain 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 3 cups 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 1⁄3 cup Vanilla sugar and 1 ½ cup 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.
Nutritional information
How much will it cost?
- For 4 cakes : 8.11 €
- Per cakes : 2.03 €
Source
Home-made, based on a recipe by Philippe Conticini.More recipes?
This recipe uses (among others) | Flour: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Fresh pasta dough, Chocolate and matcha tea biscuits, Natural leaven, Caribbean upside-down cake, Finger biscuits, ... All |
| Water: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Citrus syrup, Mixed seed grissini, Creamy risotto with diced vegetables and flax seeds, Nonettes, Tomato foccacia, ... All |
| Caster sugar: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Chaud-froid of grapefruit, pineapple and lime custard , Praline, Gâteau Basque , Half-cooked chocolate cake with raspberry coulis, Breton apple and rhubarb tart , ... All |
 | Vanilla sugar: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Plain cake, Breton sablé biscuit dough, Individual charlottes with morello cherries, Old style brioche, Cochelin d'Evreux, ... All |
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