Name: Kouign-amann
Prep time: 6 h 8 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 6 h 38 min
Yield: 2 cakes
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 400 g flour; 15 g salt; 10 g yeast; 20 g butter; 200 ml water; 320 g butter; 30 g vanilla sugar; 170 g caster sugar

Step by step recipe

Step 1 - ⌛ 7 min.

Put into a food-precessor bowl: 400 g flour, 15 g salt, 10 g yeast, 20 g butter et 200 ml water.

Knead on slow speed until this makes a soft dough (about 5-7 minutes).

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 6

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.

Step 7 - ⌛ 15 min.

Roll out the dough into a rectangle the same width as the square of butter and twice as long.

Step 8

Place the square of butter in the centre of the dough...

Step 9 - ⌛ 5 min.

...and fold in the ends to cover it completely.

Roll lightly with the rolling pin just to make the surface even.

Step 10 - ⌛ 5 min.

Give the dough one quarter turn (90°), then roll it out lengthways.

Step 11 - ⌛ 1 min.

Fold the two ends in towards the centre.

Step 12 - ⌛ 1 min.

Then fold over in half.

Step 13 - ⌛ 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.

Step 14 - ⌛ 2 min.

Mix 30 g vanilla sugar and 170 g caster sugar.

Step 15 - ⌛ 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.

Step 16 - ⌛ 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).

Step 17 - ⌛ 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.

Step 18 - ⌛ 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.

Step 19 - ⌛ 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.

Step 20 - ⌛ 30 min.

Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).

Bake for around 30 minutes, watching for colouration.

Step 21

If you are not using a non-stick mould, turn out while still hot to avoid the Kouign-amann sticking on the bottom.

	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats	Calories	Energy
Per 100 g	4 g RDI=6 %	43 g RDI=16 %	25 g RDI=34 %	410 kcal RDI=20 %	1,716 kJ RDI=20 %
Per cakes	21 g RDI=32 %	249 g RDI=94 %	145 g RDI=199 %	2,388 kcal RDI=119 %	9,997 kJ RDI=119 %
Whole recipe	42 g RDI=65 %	499 g RDI=188 %	290 g RDI=397 %	4,776 kcal RDI=239 %	19,994 kJ RDI=239 %