Kouign Amann (pronounced Queen Aman) is what would happen if a croissant went on a sugar bender. It’s flaky and buttery like a croissant, but crusty and rich with caramelized – even burnt – sugar. It’s wonderful. And when something is perfect as it is, I would usually say leave it be, however, this is a partnership with Scharffen Berger Chocolate, so we get to push it to total “over the top” status. Because the pastry is so buttery, salty, and flaky, a dark chocolate is necessary here, so I used Scharffen Berger’s semi sweet chocolate. Anything lighter would be a bit too rich and milky, while the dark chocolate has the perfect amount of edge and depth to balance the intense flavor profile. And the quality of chocolate is key here, since the chocolate is simply folded into the pastry, so use the best you can afford! For me, this is the ultimate Valentine’s Day breakfast in bed surprise. Now let’s see if I can convince my husband to bake it for me.
Full disclosure, this recipe is a bit of a thing. You’re making pastry dough. If you want to skip making the dough and swap in puff pastry, I won’t tell anyone, but you will be missing out on the true Kouign Amann experience.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup water, room temperature
1 tablespoon active dry or instant yeast
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) cold salted butter, cubed, plus extra to grease the pans
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided, plus extra for shaping the pastries
1 cup Scharffen Berger Semi Sweet Chocolate, finely chopped
DIRECTIONS
For tips on how to roll out the dough, check out my croissant recipe, here.
You can also knead this dough by hand if you don’t have a mixer with a dough hook, it’s just more of a workout.
Combine the water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir briefly, then let stand for 10 minutes until foamy. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of the flour (reserving 1/4 cup for later) and the salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until a floury, not too sticky dough is formed.
Fit your mixer with a dough hook attachment and knead the dough at low speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until the dough is slightly tacky but smooth. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise for one hour, or until doubled in size. Then move the dough to your fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes, but up to 12 hours. This step helps with rolling the dough out.
When you are ready to roll out the dough and make the kouign amann, pound the butter. This sounds super unnecessary, but it’s one of the key steps to getting those epic layers. Pounding the butter allows you to fold it into the dough without the butter melting and absorbing into it. Keeping the butter cold and separate is what gives you the layers.
Sprinkle your counter with a tablespoon or two of the remaining 1/4 cup of flour. Sprinkle the butter on top and sprinkle with another tablespoon or two of flour. Gently begin tapping the top of the butter with your rolling pin, and then pound more forcefully once the flour sticks to the butter. I overlay the smashed cubes of butter to get them to form together.
Pound the butter flat, then fold it in half using the pastry scraper (or metal spatula). Do your best not to touch the butter with your hands. Pound the butter flat and fold it in half again. Repeat another 2 to 3 times until the butter is very tender, flattens within a few hits of the rolling pin, and folds well. Keep sprinkling with flour as necessary to prevent the butter from sticking to the counter or rolling pin. To finish, pound the butter into a rectangle about 6 inches by 10 inches. Transfer for a baking sheet and refrigerate while you roll out the dough. But DO NOT refrigerate the butter for longer than 15 minutes or you will need to pound it to suppleness again – which is a pain.
Sprinkle your counter with flour and transfer the dough on top. Roll the dough into a rectangle roughly 12 inches by 20 inches.
Remove the butter from the fridge and transfer it to the middle of the dough. Fold one half of the dough over the butter and fold the other half on top, like folding a letter. Roll it out slightly to press the layers together, then fold it again into thirds.
Begin “turning” the dough: A “turn” is the process of rolling and folding the dough in order to create very thin layers of butter and dough. You will complete 4 total turns to make the kouign amann: 2 turns now, chill the dough, and then the final 2 turns. For a full explanation of turns, check out my croissant dough recipe, here.
Now for the turning:
Rotate the package of dough and butter so that the narrower, open end is facing you, like you’re about to read a book. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 12 inches wide by 20 inches long. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up, like folding a letter.
Rotate the dough 90 degrees so that the open end is again facing you, like a book. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 12 inches wide by 20 inches long. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up, like folding a letter. You have now completed 2 turns. Pop the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes, just to re-chill the dough, not longer than that.
Transfer the dough back to a well-floured counter. With the open end facing you, roll the dough out to a rectangle 12 inches wide by 20 inches long. Sprinkle it all over with 3/4 cups of sugar and half of the chocolate and press lightly with the rolling pin to help it stick. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up, like folding a letter.
Rotate the dough 90 degrees so that the open end is again facing you, like a book. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 12 inches wide by 20 inches long. Sprinkle it all over with the remaining 3/4 cups of sugar and the remaining chocolate and press lightly with the rolling pin to help it stick. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up, like folding a letter. If any sugar falls out, press it back into the folds. You have now completed 4 total turns. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Rub the insides of the muffin tins or pastry rings with plenty of butter. Arrange the pastry rings on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Set aside.
Sprinkle the counter with sugar. Remove the dough from the fridge and transfer it to the counter. Sprinkle a little additional sugar over the top of the dough. Roll the dough out to a rectangle roughly 8 inches wide by 24 inches long and roughly 1/4-inch thick.
Slice the dough into 12 squares. Fold the corners of each square toward the center. Pick up each pastry and push it firmly into the muffin tins or pastry rings.If making ahead, you can refrigerate the kouign overnight at this point and let them rise before baking.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Cover the kouign amann loosely with plastic and let them rise until slightly puffy, 30 to 40 minutes. Set the muffin tins/pastry rings on a baking sheet to catch butter drips during baking. Place the kouign amann in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 350°F. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through baking. They’re finished when the tops are deep golden brown and heavily caramelized.
Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the pastries stand until they are just cool enough to handle. Gently wiggle them out of the muffin tins or pastry molds, and set them on the cooling rack to finish cooling completely. If they cool in the pan they’ll stick to them and are practically impossible to remove, so do this when they’re warm. Serve immediately.
