1 h 55 min
Kouign-Amann: Brittany’s Famous Butter Cake
It was created in the 1800s in the town of Douarnenez, a fishing port known for its butter and sea salt. According to local stories, a baker working with a simple bread dough decided to fold in generous amounts of butter and sugar before baking it. What came out of the oven was something magical: a pastry with crisp caramelized edges and a soft, buttery center.
It later evolved to using croissant dough as the base, but you’ll still often see a more rustic version with bread dough in the region.
The name itself tells you everything you need to know. Kouign-amann comes from the local Brittany dialect, Breton, where kouign means “cake” and amann means “butter.” So quite literally, it translates to “butter cake.” And that’s exactly what it is — a pastry where butter plays the starring role.
With it being such an important part of the pastry, you’re going to want to use French butter. Because when a pastry is built around butter, using a really good one matters.
Make it at home with a homemade dough and lots of extra butter and sugar, or use store bought croissant dough. This means for an easy short cut! Unroll the dough and spread the top with a generous amount of butter. Sprinkle with sugar and then roll up like a cinnamon roll and plan in a buttered and sugared muffin tin. That extra butter and sugar will caramelize turning regular croissant dough into something special.
Crispy, caramelized, and intensely buttery, kouign-amann is one of those pastries that feels both rustic and indulgent at the same time — and once you try one, it’s easy to see why it’s become such a favorite far beyond Brittany.
Preparation time
1 h 30 min
Ingredients For
-
For the home made dough
-
2 tsp
-
-
1 cup
-
3 cups
-
-
Once you have the dough
-
-
Preparation
1
In a bowl, stir together the yeast, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and the water. Let sit for about 5 to 10 minutes until foam forms on top. If this doesn’t happens, your yeast needs to be refreshed!
2
Add this to a mixer bowl with the flour and salt. Mix on low with the dough hook until the dough comes together. Increase the speed to medium and mix for about 7 to 8 minutes until smooth.
3
Remove the dough hook and bring the dough together into the center of the bowl. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour.
4
Punch down the dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 8x14 inches. Spread 1 stick of butter on top of the dough and sprinkle generously with sugar.
5
Fold the dough like a business letter, up one third from the short end, and then down and over the folded part.
6
Turn the dough so the open ends of the fold are facing towards you. Roll out into a long rectangle that’s ¼” thick. Spread the top with the remaining ½ stick of butter and a generous sprinkling of sugar.
7
Fold the dough one more time, up one third from the short end and then down and over the folded part.
8
If it’s too sticky and crazy, wrap up in plastic wrap and throw in the freezer for 15 minutes. If you can, work in one more fold. Repeating the process above. Then wrap up and freeze until firm but not frozen (about 15 minutes). If you can’t work in another fold, don’t worry about it!
9
Butter two muffin tins and sprinkle the inside with sugar. Tap out the extra.
10
Roll out into a big rectangle about 16x14” in more sugar, or flour, and then cut into 3” squares. You’ll have about 20 to 24! It will be sticky! It’s normal for the sugar to start to melt.
© Molly Wilkinson
11
Bring the corners into the center, pressing down to make them stick. Place in the muffin tin, folded side down. No need to let these rise again. The butter and sugar will weigh them down, so they’re ready for the oven!
© Molly Wilkinson
12
Preheat your oven to 375F° and bake about 23 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
13
Immediately remove from the tins with an offset spatula and tongs and let cool before enjoying!
© Molly Wilkinson
Contributor
Molly Wilkinson
Pastry chef
Our latest recipes
Most popular this week
