The Real Kouign Aman Recipes

KOUIGN-AMANN

Steps:

• Combine water, sugar, and yeast in a bowl. Let rest until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Add melted butter, 2 cups flour, and salt to the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon to form a very sticky dough. Dust your work surface with remaining 1/2 cup flour.
• Turn dough out onto the floured counter. Knead, folding in the excess flour as needed, until dough is soft, slightly sticky, and elastic. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Combine sugar and most of the sea salt together in a bowl. Mix, taste, and add more salt as needed.
• Butter a 12-cup muffin tin. Spoon some of the seasoned sugar into the cups and shake to coat. Turn tin over and return excess sugar to the bowl.
• Transfer dough onto a floured surface and press into a rough rectangle. Roll dough into a rectangle about 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick. Grate cold butter onto the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Flatten butter using lightly floured hands. Fold rectangle widthwise into thirds. Press gently to square out the edges. Place dough onto a silicone-lined baking sheet. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Roll dough into a large rectangle again, pulling and stretching the corners as needed. Grate the second stick of butter over the surface. Pat down with floured fingers and fold into thirds. Roll back out into a rectangle and fold into thirds. Repeat rolling and folding one more time. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Sprinkle a generous amount of the seasoned sugar onto your work surface. Place dough onto the sugar and sprinkle more sugar on top. Roll into a large rectangle about 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick, turning and topping with sugar between rolls.
• Use a pizza cutter to trim away uneven edges. Cut dough into 12 even pieces. Sprinkle more sugar on top. Lightly pinch each pastry into a crown shape by bringing all four corners to the center; place into the muffin cups. Sprinkle more sugar on top. Let rest for 10 minutes.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned and puffed, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer onto a cooling rack while still hot. Let cool for 15 minutes.

THE REAL KOUIGN AMAN

Steps:

• Prepare Bread Dough . Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Roll out the bread dough to an 11-inch circle. In a mixer or food processor, thoroughly blend the sugar with the butter. Pat the mixture into a rectangle that measures about 7 x 4 inches, and place it in the center of the dough. Fold the dough over the butter mixture on all four sides, as if you were forming an envelope. Brush any excess flour from the dough, gently press the seams together, and roll the dough and butter/sugar packet out to a rectangle that measures about 11 x 6-inch rectangle. Brush any excess flour off the dough and fold it from the short end into thirds, like a business letter, brushing flour off each surface as you fold. Repeat this process two more times, rolling very gently so you don't push the butter and sugar through the dough. The third turn is the trickiest - do it carefully, dusting the dough lightly with flour if necessary, to keep the rolling pin from sticking to any spots where the butter might peek through (an inevitability with this dough...).
• Roll out the dough to a rectangle that is about 11 x 6 inches, and a shy 1/2-inch thick. Whisk together the egg and water, and brush it lightly on the dough. Sprinkle it with the 2 tablespoons of sugar, then score the top of the it into large squares with a sharp knife. Transfer it to a baking dish or sheet with edges, so the butter and sugar that runs from the dough as it bakes won't drip on the bottom of the oven and burn. It is best to use a baking sheet or dish that is just slightly larger than the dough.
• Bake in the center of the oven until the pastry is golden and crisp on top, and the sugar and butter that has run from it is deeply caramelized at the edges, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes, then cut it into serving pieces and transfer these to a serving dish or platter.