#Quarantreatyourself with Kouign-Amann

The Great British Baking Show holds a special place in my heart. It was one of the last shows my dad and I watched together before he passed away over 4 years ago. My childhood friends Justin and Mikee were also obsessed with it, especially since Mikee was an aspiring pastry chef at the time. (Spoiler alert: she ended up going to Stern at NYU, and is now in her second year as an internal medicine resident at Georgetown. She continues to be one of the best bakers I know. #Killinit)

GBBS had a technical challenge featuring a Breton cake called Kouign-Amann (pronounced “Queen Ahman”), but I never sought the pastry out after seeing the show. I had frankly forgotten about it, until Justin and Mikee came to visit me in Nashville and we hunted for a bakery that had Kouign-Amann on the menu. We stumbled upon it at Five Daughters Bakery in 12 South and the rest is history. I fell hook, line, and sinker for this pastry; the Kouign-Amann is actually the best baked good in the whole entire world. It’s like a dense croissant, with a satisfying crunch from the caramelized sugar and sea salt in every layer. I’ve introduced many friends to the Kouign-Amann thereafter, and I’m pretty sure all of them subscribe to the same opinion.

Don’t believe me? Under normal circumstances, I would suggest you pick one up from a local bakery that makes them. If you live in Richmond, Whisk in Shockhoe Bottom has the best Kouign-Amann I’ve ever had.

But, since COVID-19 is the nightmare that never ends, might as well make it at home while you’re in quarantine. Set aside a Saturday and follow this recipe adapted from Chef John at All Recipes. Making the Kouign-Amann is definitely laborious; you’ll be questioning your sanity after grating a whole stick of butter over dough for 30 minutes. But I promise you will be richly rewarded with flaky, buttery, sugary-salty goodness in the end. You’ll just sweat a little to get there.

Ingredients

For the dough:
2 1/2 cups AP flour (if you can hunt down bread flour, use that)
1 tsp yeast + a pinch of sugar to feed it
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp salt
2 sticks of frozen butter

For the seasoning:
1 cup Monkfruit sugar substitute (regular sugar caramelizes so much better, but like, I’m trying not to gain the COVID-“19”, if you feel me… so this works pretty well)
2 ish tsp sea salt (just don’t overdo it on the salt)

Instructions

1. Freeze two sticks of butter overnight or a few hours before starting this recipe.
2. Bloom yeast in warm water and sugar, until you see visible foam forming to indicate your yeast is alive.
3. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, melted butter, salt, and the yeast mixture until it gets sticky. If you’re using a large enough bowl so that you can knead the dough in there, go for it. Use the remaining flour (1/2 cup) to avoid sticky fingers as you knead your dough until it’s smooth. If your dough is still super sticky and a craggy mess, continue kneading. Use your instincts.
4. Transfer the dough into a greased bowl and proof until doubled in size, about 1 and a half hours.
5. Combine sugar and salt, then butter a 12-pan cupcake/muffin tin. Liberally coat each cup with the sugar/salt mixture and set aside.
6. Once the dough has done proofing and it has double in size, punch it down and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Grate ONE stick of butter (yes, just the one for now) over the dough, leaving a one inch border. Press the butter into the dough, then fold the dough “hot dog style” three times. Square out the edges as best as you can, and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Wrap plastic over it and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. I added an extra 15 minutes to ensure that the butter stays cold, and doesn’t leak out as we start adding more layers to this dough.
7. Take the dough out and repeat the step above. Roll out into a rectangle about 1/8-1/4 inch thick and grate the SECOND stick of butter over this dough. Fold the dough into thirds again (like you would a pamphlet). If you want, you can put the dough back into the fridge to chill for another 30-45 minutes if you notice the butter is starting to melt/leak. But if you’re working quickly and on a cold surface, power through and roll the dough out again into a rectangle. Then, fold again into thirds. (You should have folded the dough 3 times). Chill this dough for at least 1 hour.
8. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
9. Sprinkle your tabletop with a generous helping of the sugar/salt seasoning. Take your dough and roll it out into the same rectangle shape about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. This time, you should see the layers we’ve introduced into the dough by folding it! Start seasoning the dough with the sugar/salt mixture as you roll it out. Get that mixture incorporated into every single crevice of the dough.
10. Once your dough is nice and rectangular, use a pizza cutter to cut out 12 square pieces. To get that signature Kouign-Amann shape, take all four corners of the dough and pinch into the middle. Place each widdle Kouign-Amann into the muffin tin carefully, and literally go to town with sprinkling more sugar on top. Cuz you deserve it at this point. Like. Seriously. Let it proof again for another 10 minutes.
11. Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Make sure you take them out of the muffin tin while they’re still hot, or they will caramelize in the tins and it’ll be a nightmare to get them out intact.
12. BEHOLD. THE BEST PASTRY ON THE PLANET. Take pics and send them to me please.

If you make this recipe, please let me know in the comments or text me. I’d love to see pictures of your Kouign-Amann batch. I hope you find joy in the process!

As always, until the next post: please mask up and maintain constant vigilance of the pestilence that has rendered the world to its knees. And continue to pray.

-Mimi 🙂