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    Home » Recipes » Breads » Sweet Rolls

    Kouign Amann

    Published by Melissa on March 2, 2015 | Updated June 10, 2022 | 40 Comments

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    Featured Image for post Kouign Amann

    Kouign Amann is a croissant dough with sugar layered in during the last turn so after it’s baked the pastries are sweet, crunchy, buttery and super flaky.

    There’s a local pastry restaurant, Les Madeleines, that makes the most heavenly kouign amann. It’s where I had my first kouign amann and it was love at first bite. Lately, a group of bloggers have been posting kouign amann recipes, and I wanted to get in on the fun too. So I decided for the second of eight recipes I’m creating for Red Star Yeast this year I’d make kouign amann.

    Collage of making Kouign Amann with Red Star Quick Rise Yeast

    To make kouign amann you need to make a laminated dough, which is a simple yeast dough that you wrap around a butter block. I used Red Star Quick Rise Yeast so I could mix the yeast in with the flour which speeds up the process. There’s great tips on using quick rise yeast on the Red Star website, including using a thermometer to determine the correct water temperature.

    The recipe uses european style butter because it contains less water and will make your pastry flakier. You roll out the butter to create a butter block to put in the middle of the dough. A quart size plastic bag is the perfect tool to help easily create the 6-inch butter square you need.

    Collage of making Kouign Amann

    Once you’ve encased the butter in the dough, you roll out the dough in to a rectangle, fold the bottom third up and the top third down on top of the bottom third. Then you’ll cover the dough and put it in the refrigerator to chill for thirty minutes.

    After thirty minutes, you turn the dough so it opens like a book and then roll it out again. You’ll do four of these “turns”, refrigerating the dough for 30 minutes after each turn so that the dough and butter stays cold.

    A collage of layering Sugar in Kouign Amann

    I rolled my dough out on a Silicone Pastry Mat which made it easy to fold the dough for the turns. If you’re not using a mat, be sure and keep your counter floured, and use a pastry scraper if necessary to loosen the dough from the counter.

    A couple of things set my kouign amann recipe apart from the others. First, I simplified the recipe by using my KitchenAid mixer to do the mixing and kneading of the dough, and used a plastic bag to make the butter block. Secondly, on Les Madeleines website it  says the secret to their amazing kouign amann is the addition of fleur de sel, a French sea salt, so I added fine sea salt to my pastries as well.

    Kouign Amann is a croissant dough with sugar layered in during the last turn so after it's baked the pastries are sweet, crunchy, buttery and super flaky.

    The pastries come out of the oven extra crispy but soften up as the day goes on, so it’s best to devour them the day you make them.

    My family was happy to devour all 12 pastries the day they were made. However, if you have one or two left, put them in the freezer and warm them up in the oven to crisp them up before you serve them.

    Featured Image for post Kouign Amann
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    5 from 3 votes

    Kouign Amann

    Cook Time40 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Course: Sweet Rolls
    Keyword: Breakfast, Dessert, yeast bread
    Servings: 12 servings
    Author: Barbara Schieving
    Prevent your screen from going to sleep

    Ingredients

    • 2 ½ to 3 ½ cups bread flour
    • 1 ½ teaspoons Red Star Instant Yeast Platinum or Quick Rise
    • ½ teaspoons salt
    • 1 cup warm water 120° - 130°
    • 2 tablespoons butter melted
    • 8 ounces cold European butter
    • ¾ cup superfine sugar divided
    • ¼ teaspoon Flor de Sal or fine sea salt

    Instructions

    • In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, and salt. Add warm water and melted butter to flour mixture. Beat 1 minute at medium speed. Switch to the dough hook and gradually mix in remaining flour to make a smooth dough, add more or less flour as necessary. Knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
    • Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough doubles in size.
    • While dough rises, make butter block. Put butter in a quart size zipper bag and with a rolling pin, roll out in to a 6 inch square. Place in the fridge to chill.
    • On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 8 inch square. Place the butter in the center of the dough diagonally, so that each side of butter faces a corner of the dough. Fold the corners of the dough over the butter to enclose like an envelope.
    • First turn: Roll the dough into a 18 x 6 inch rectangle. Fold the bottom third of the dough up over the middle, then fold the top third of the dough over, like folding a letter. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
    • Second turn: Turn the dough so the open end is on the right (like opening a book) and roll the dough into a 18 x 6 inch rectangle. Fold the bottom third of the dough up over the middle, then fold the top third of the dough on top of the bottom third. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
    • Third turn: Rotate the dough so the open end is on the right and roll the dough into a 18 x 6 inch rectangle. Fold the bottom third of the dough up over the middle, then fold the top third of the dough on top of the bottom third. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
    • Fourth turn: Rotate the dough so the open end is on the right and roll the dough into a 18 x 6 inch rectangle. Sprinkle the dough with ½ cup superfine sugar and sea salt. Press lightly with the rolling pin to help it stick. Fold the bottom third of the dough up over the middle, then fold the top third of the dough on top of the bottom third. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
    • Roll the dough into a 16 x 12 inch rectangle. Sprinkle the dough with 2 tablespoons superfine sugar and cut the dough into 12 squares.
    • Grease a 12-cup muffin pan well with butter. For each square, pull the four corners towards the center, so it looks like a four-leaf clover. Press the corners together and place in a muffin cup. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons superfine sugar.
    • Cover the kouign amann loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes or until slightly puffed up.
    • Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake the pastries for 30-40 minutes, or until golden-brown. Cover with foil halfway through to prevent burning.
    • Remove from the oven and cool for several minutes in the pan. Use a spatula or butter knife to loosen the pastries from the muffin cups and place on a wire rack to cool.
    • Do not let the pastries cool in the pan or they will be difficult to remove.

    Notes

    Kouign Amann is best eaten the day they're made. If you don't polish them off in one day, put them in the freezer and warm them in the oven to crisp them up before serving.

    Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Red Star Yeast, but all opinions expressed are always my own.  You can also find Red Star Yeast on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

    More recipes using Red Star Yeast you might like:

    Apricot Cherry Breakfast Bread

    Apricot Cherry Breakfast Bread

    Overnight Apple Fritter Monkey Bread

    Overnight Apple Fritter Monkey Bread

    Featured Image for post Apple Crisp Sweet Roll Coffee Cakes

    Apple Crisp Sweet Roll Coffee Cakes

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    about us

    About Melissa & Barbara

    As of June 2022 Melissa Griffiths now is the one adding recipes. So think of it as Barbara Bakes, and Melissa too! Melissa and Barbara have been blogging friends for over 10 years and when Barbara was ready to retire and spend more time with her family, Melissa took over the site. Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Elisha

      June 04, 2020 at 11:00 pm

      When do you add in the leur de sel and how much of it?

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        June 05, 2020 at 7:28 am

        Hi Elisha – in step 8 when you sprinkle the dough with sugar and sea salt. Enjoy!

        Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        June 05, 2020 at 7:28 am

        Hi Elisha – in step 8 when you sprinkle the dough with sugar and sea salt.

        Reply
    2. Becky

      March 14, 2015 at 3:38 pm

      I’m so proud of you for making this. Not many people would venture to make something so intricate and time consuming! I wish I was there to taste it!

      Reply
    3. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef

      March 10, 2015 at 6:35 am

      These are outstanding and you make it look SO easy. I’m going to give it a try.

      Reply
    4. Nicole

      March 09, 2015 at 11:10 am

      I want breakfast at your house, Barbara. These look amazing!

      Reply
    5. Emily

      March 07, 2015 at 5:20 pm

      This is one of my favorite things to buy at Bake 360! YUM!

      Reply
    6. leslie

      March 06, 2015 at 5:20 am

      Yes.YES>YES. I love a nice flakey pastry. This look fancy and yummy 😉

      Reply
    7. Kitchen Belleicious

      March 04, 2015 at 8:10 pm

      croissant like pastry with sugar filled layers? Count me in for sure! I mean this sounds out of this world. I can’t believe you made it. Such time and effort and creativity. bravo

      Reply
    8. Rocky Mountain Woman

      March 04, 2015 at 4:22 pm

      Woops – I like Les Madeleines. It’s such a fun place!

      Reply
    9. Rocky Mountain Woman

      March 04, 2015 at 4:20 pm

      They are so pretty! I like Les Madeleines is such a fun place. I don’t think I’ve ever had their Kouign Amann, but that’s something I need to remedy sometime very soon.

      Reply
    10. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

      March 04, 2015 at 12:41 am

      This is my favourite pastry mum! Whenever I go to Laduree I ask for theirs. Your version looks spectacular! xxx

      Reply
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