Kouign Amann

Ingredients for 12

Dough

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 tsp dry active yeast
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp melted butter
  • 2 12 cups bread flour, plus more as needed
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Rest

  • 2 sticks of frozen butter (or as a butter slab)
  • 23 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp kosher salt

Method (4–5 hours)

Make Dough (110 mins)

  • Get a big mixing bowl and add water, sugar and yeast
  • Wait ~10 mins to wake up the yeast
  • Add 2 cups flour, plus the butter and salt
  • Mix with a wooden spoon to make a shaggy dough
  • Bring together with rest of the flour as needed on a table
  • Knead into soft, sticky, elastic ball
  • Let rise for ~90 minutes

Laminate (120 mins)

  • 2 times:
    • Roll out dough to 5 mm (316“)
    • Grate a stick of butter onto dough
    • Do a letter fold
    • Refrigerate for 30 mins the first time, 10 the second
  • 2 times:
    • Roll out dough to 5 mm
    • Do a letter fold
  • Refrigerate until ready

Additional Prep

  • Make seasoned sugar
  • Butter a 12 cup nonstick metal muffin tin
  • Dust buttered cups with seasoned sugar

Shape (35 mins)

  • Use seasoned sugar to roll out dough to 5 mm
  • Cut into a clean 4:3 aspect ratio rectangle
  • Cut into 12 squares
  • Dust with more sugar
  • Bring corners together and place into cups
  • Dust with more sugar

Bake (35 mins)

  • Preheat oven while proofing in the muffin tin
  • Bake at 375°F for 25–35 mins
  • Don’t forget to bake the scraps too
  • Remove from tin before they solidify in there

Notes

30 minutes came out perfect, but 31 might be even better.