Kouign Amann
I live right down the street from Arsicault’s bakery -the best pastries in San Francisco. These aren’t exactly the same but my roommates would say they are even better!
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 packet fast-acting yeast
1 tsp salt
200ml warm water (Your liquid measuring cup should have milliliter measurements, otherwise just under 1 cup.)
2 tbsp melted butter
2 sticks butter
Sugar
Muffin tin (Not an ingredient but you will need one.)
Directions:
Mix together flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Technically, the salt and yeast should be added to opposite sides of the bowl so they don’t react but you do you.
Add water and 2 tbsp melted butter.
Either mix for 5 minutes with a bread hook (if you have a stand mixer) or with a sturdy spoon for ~10 minutes. You’re gonna need biceps for this.
Put dough into oiled bowl (make sure to get some oil on the top of your dough ball too). Cover with cling wrap and leave to rest for 1 hour.
While the dough rises, make the butter block by putting both sticks of butter in between two sheets of wax paper. Smack the hell out of it until it makes a square-ish shape about 6x6 inches. Place in the fridge until we need it again.
Once the dough is done rising, roll it out on a floured surface until about 8x8 inches.
Follow the photos below for the lamination. Start by placing the butter diagonally on the dough square.
8. Fold the corners of the dough into the center like a big, buttery envelope.
9. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 3X longer than it is wide. Please ignore my roommate’s un-manicured hands.
10. Fold the rectangle into thirds. This step will be called one fold.
11. Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the fridge. You can try 15 minutes in the freezer, but you have to be careful not to dry out the dough.
12. Take the dough out of the chiller and turn it 90 degrees so that the fold is facing to the left (or right, whatever). Roll the dough out into the rectangular shape again. Repeat the folding.
13. Chill, roll out, and repeat the folding again. Put back in the chiller.
14. Do this step quickly so the butter doesn’t melt. Roll out again. Now, sprinkle with about two handfuls of sugar and pat the sugar into the dough lightly. Fold up into thirds again.
15. Turn 90 degrees and roll out into a rectangle that is now 3-by-4. I promise this makes sense when you see the picture below.
16. Sprinkle with three handfuls of sugar. Pat down.
17. Cut into 12 equal squares.
18. Fold the corner of each square into the center, making a flower shape.
19. Spray the muffin tin with butter (or whatever you have to lubricate it). Sprinkle with sugar. Place these little flower shapes into the muffin tins.
20. Preheat the oven to 425F. While it heats up, let the kouigns chill in the fridge.
21. Bake for about 20 minutes on a middle shelf or until golden brown.
22. Take the kouigns out the pan as soon as they come out of the oven so they don’t get stuck. The bottoms should be covered in sticky, caramelized sugar. Enjoy!
Something that I’ve been experimenting with spreading a thin coat of flavor on the dough right before the last fold (where you would otherwise put the sugar). Here are two recipes to try it with:
Chocolate Ganache:
8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
Simmer the chocolate and cream in a saucepan until smooth. Let cool and thicken (but still spreadable) before spreading on the dough to prevent melting the butter in the dough prematurely.
Lemon Ginger Filling:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks (Be careful when separating.)
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric (If you don’t have it, forget it.)
Pinch of salt
Mix all together thoroughly (maybe even use a whisk). Cook slowly, stirring constantly, in a saucepan until thick but spreadable. Don’t cook too fast or you’ll scramble the egg. If you do scramble it, just put the mixture through a strainer. Let cool and then spread on dough.