Kouign-amann


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.
145 K 4.2/5 (25 reviews)
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Last modified on: May 24th 2018
For 2 cakes, you will need:

Change these quantities to make:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 3 hours 8 min.
Resting: 3 hours
Cooking: 30 min.
All in all: 6 hours 40 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
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.
Kouign-amann
Put into a food-precessor bowl: 2 23 cups flour, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon yeast, 1 ½ tablespoon butter et 1 cup water.

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

Stage 2 - 2 hours
Kouign-amann
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.
Kouign-amann
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.

Stage 4 - 30 min.
Kouign-amann
Meanwhile, prepare the square of butter: Wrap 1 ½ cup 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.

Stage 5
Kouign-amann
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.

Stage 6 - 15 min.
Kouign-amann
Roll out the dough into a rectangle the same width as the square of butter and twice as long.

Stage 7 - 5 min.
Kouign-amann
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.

Stage 8 - 5 min.
Kouign-amann
Give the dough one quarter turn (90°), then roll it out lengthways.

Stage 9 - 1 min.
Kouign-amann
Fold the two ends in towards the centre.

Stage 10 - 1 min.
Kouign-amann
Then fold over in half.

Stage 11 - 40 min.
Kouign-amann
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.

Stage 12 - 2 min.
Kouign-amann
Mix 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar and ¾ cup caster sugar.

Stage 13 - 2 min.
Kouign-amann
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.
Kouign-amann
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).

Stage 15 - 10 min.
Kouign-amann
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.
Kouign-amann
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.

Stage 17 - 30 min.
Kouign-amann
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.

Stage 18 - 30 min.
Kouign-amann
Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).

Bake for around 30 minutes, watching for colouration.

Stage 19
Kouign-amann
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 recipe40 RDI=20 %620 RDI=60 %290 RDI=40 %4,780 RDI=240 %19,990 RDI: 240 %
Per 100 g3 RDI=1 %50 RDI=5 %20 RDI=4 %410 RDI=20 %1,720 RDI: 20 %
Per cakes20 RDI=8 %310 RDI=30 %150 RDI=20 %2,390 RDI=120 %10,000 RDI: 120 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man
Possible allergens in this recipe: Gluten, Milk
How much will it cost?
  • For 2 cakes : 4.10 €
  • Per cakes : 2.05 €

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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)
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