Kouign-amann are an indulgent crisp and flaky pastry made from layers of caramelised laminated dough with a fluffy, buttery interior.
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We are on a little bit of a laminated pastry roll... Following from my cinnamon cruffins the next laminated dough recipe is the kouign-amann. If you have never had a kouign-amann you are seriously missing out!
What is a Kouign-Amann?
Originating in Brittany these pastries are named after the Brenton words 'cake' and 'butter', 'kouign' and 'amann'. The name pretty much says it all, these are pastries made from layers of laminated dough rolled in sugar before being baked until crisp, flaky and caramelised with a soft and buttery centre.
These are definitely not an everyday breakfast item... but a couple of times a year should be okay right?!
Tips on Assembly
The defining factor between a kouign-amann and a regular pastry is the sugar that has been rolled into the dough. This happens in the final fold of making the dough. At this point a layer of caster sugar should be sprinkled over the dough and pressed into the dough with a rolling pin. The dough then undergoes its final fold before being chilled and cut into shapes.
I have written up a guide on the process of making laminated dough in my cruffin recipe. If you are confused with the folding of dough the detailed step-by-step guide with illustrations will help you through!!
A breakdown of the kouign-amman making process:
- Making dough and rest overnight
- Make butter slab
- Envelope butter
- First fold, chill
- Second fold, chill
- Roll sugar into dough
- Third fold, chill
- Roll sugar into dough
- Roll out and cut into shapes
- Dust shapes in sugar
- Proof and bake
Tips on Shaping
The way that i have shaped my kouign-amann is a little different to the traditional method. Traditionally the dough is cut into squares and pressed into a ring mould. This creates a rustic look with the corners of the pastry bunched at the top.
I chose to roll the dough into a swirl. This way it allows even caramelisation in all the layers and creates a beautiful golden brown bottom. But the way you shape them is up to you!
If rolling it I like to give the dough an extra layer of sugar, pressing it in before rolling it up into a tight swirl. I then give the swirl an extra toss in caster sugar before placing it in the centre of a larger ring. The extra coating of sugar gives for an even more caramelised crust.
Make sure you use a ring that is larger than the swirl itself. This is important as the dough will expand while proofing, allowing the layers of dough and butter to seperate while filling the area of the ring. This gives the pastry extra flaky layers and a fluffy interior.
If you use a ring that is too small you risk compressing your dough, preventing it from opening up into all its layers. It can also cause your pastry to rise unevenly out of the ring, losing its pretty swirl.
How to Reheat Pastries
Pastries are always best fresh from the oven, but with a larger batch it isn't possible to eat all of them freshly baked. Once they have cooled down they will remain crisp for a couple of hours, but afterwards they tend to absorb moisture and become soggy and slightly stale.
I find the best way to consume them after they have cooled it reheating it in an airfryer. 5 minutes on 200C / 390F returns them to their crispy and flaky state.
If you don't have an airfryer an oven is a great option. 10-12 minutes in an oven at 220C / 390F is perfect!
They can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days or frozen for a couple of months!
If frozen simply remove from freezer, defrost and reheat as above.
Let's Get Baking!
I hope you all love these kouign-amann as much as I do. These may be a little indulgent, but after all the hard work and effort you put in to make these I think they are more than well deserved.
If you liked this recipe make sure to leave a rating and comment below, I would love to hear how your ones went! Also don't forget to tag me on instagram @catherine.justdessertsau and hashtag #cattycakes so I can see and share your desserts.
Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtube and tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy baking!
PrintKouign-amann
An indulgent crisp and flaky pastry made from layers of caramelised laminated dough with a fluffy, buttery interior.
- Prep Time: 120 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Advanced
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
Dough
- 500g Bread flour (3 ¾ cup)
- 55g White sugar (¼ cup)
- 5g Salt (1 ½ tsp)
- 130g Water (½ cup 2 tsp)
- 130g Whole milk (½ cup)
- 50g Unsalted butter (I), softened (¼ cup)
- 10g Instant yeast (2 ¼ tsp)
Assembly
- 250g Unsalted butter (II), softened (1 cup 2 tbsp)
- Caster sugar for sprinkling and rolling
Instructions
Dough
- Combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix to combine
- Add water and milk to the flour mix on low until the dough comes together into a rough ball
- Add the butter, increase speed to medium-high and continue to mix for 10 minutes
- The dough should be smoother and more elastic, but not completely smooth
- Remove dough, grease bowl and cover with cling wrap
- Place in the fridge to proof overnight, or a minimum of 6 hours
Butter Block
- Fold a large sheet of baking paper into a 20 x 15cm rectangle
- Add the butter to the centre of the baking paper and fold up the rectangle to enclose the butter
- Using a rolling pin roll the butter into the shape of the baking paper, making sure to get into the corners as well
- Place the butter in the fridge to set for 30-45 minutes. The butter should be chilled and firm, but not rock solid
Assembly
- Remove your dough from the fridge and roll out into a rectangle that will enclose your butter block
- Fold the corners of the dough in and pinch the edges to fully enclose the butter in the dough
- Flip the dough so the edges face the benchtop and roll the dough out into a 20 x 60cm rectangle
- Flip the dough over again so the edges face up and perform a single fold by visually dividing the dough into thirds and folding the top and bottom third into the centre
- Cover in cling wrap and place in the fridge for 20 minutes
- Remove from fridge and roll out into a 20 x 60cm rectangle
- Perform a double fold by visually dividing the dough into fourths and folding the top and bottom forth towards the centre line, then fold in half
- Cover in cling wrap and place in the fridge for 20 minutes
- Remove from fridge and roll into a 20 x 60 cm rectangle
- Sprinkle generously with caster sugar and press the sugar into the dough with the rolling pin
- Perform a single fold again (see step 4)
- Cover in cling wrap and place in the fridge for 45 minutes
- Remove from fridge and roll into a 25 x 40cm rectangle
- Sprinkle generously with caster sugar and press the sugar into the dough
- Trim the edges, then cut the dough into sixteen 2.5cm strips
- Roll them into swirls
- Roll each swirl in more caster sugar
- Place each swirl into an 8cm tart ring and cover the tray loosely with cling wrap*
- Leave at room temperature to proof for 1-2 hours, until puffy and 1.5X in size (the layers will begin to separate)
- Preheat the oven to 190C / 375F
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown and caramelised
- Remove from oven and unmould
- Enjoy!**
Notes
* If you don't have a tart ring muffin tins work too! Roll the dough to a size that will fit in the tin
**These taste best freshly baked as they are crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. If enjoying once cooled pop them in an oven at 200C / 390F for 10 minutes, or an airfryer!
Keywords: Pastry, croissant, caramelised, laminated dough, kouignamann
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Love the recipe!
Small tweaks might be to season the sugar with a pinch of salt. Or use salted butter. Can give a nice salted caramel feel to it and using salt us also more traditional for this recipe I believe.
Also instead of rolls you could use a muffin tin, cut the dough into squares then fold the corners in and push it into the muffin tin. I usually butter and sprinkle sugar/salt into the muffin tin so when they come out the bottom have a nice shiny caramel glazing to them.
★★★★★
Hi Charles! The salt is a great idea! Also love the tip about getting shiny caramel glazing to their bottoms. Glad you loved the recipe 😊