Kouign-Amann are made with sugared, laminated dough baked in muffin tins. Part sticky bun and part sugared croissant, they are delicious! This recipe includes step-by-step photos and recipe notes for make these amazing pastries at home.
Make the Dough: Combine the water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a mixing bowl, if kneading by hand). Add the flour and the salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough is formed.
Fit the mixer with a dough hook attachment and knead the dough at low speed until the dough is slightly tacky but smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. If the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time and knead until the dough is smooth. If the dough feels very stiff and dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time and knead until the dough is smooth.
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl that has been lightly greased with butter, turning the dough to coat it with butter. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Once the dough has doubled in size, place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. [MAKE-AHEAD NOTE: At this point, you can refrigerate the dough overnight, then proceed with the recipe.]
Make the Butter Block: Beat the butter on low speed until it’s homogeneous and waxy in texture, about 3 minutes, scraping the beater and bowl as needed to break up the cubes. Turn the butter out onto a piece of parchment paper and shape into a rectangle about 6 inches by 10 inches. Wrap up the butter in the parchment paper, pressing out any air. Gently roll a rolling pin over the butter packet, pushing the butter into the corners to create a perfect rectangle with even thickness. Refrigerate until firm yet still pliable, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Roll out the Dough: Place the chilled dough onto a floured work surface and roll into a rectangle 12 inches by 20 inches. Remove the butter from the refrigerator and place it in the middle of the dough. Fold one half of the dough over the butter, then 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 like a letter.
“Turn the Dough” #1: Rotate the dough so that the open, narrower edge is facing you. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 12 inches wide by 20 inches long. Fold the top third down and bottom third up, again like folding a letter. Place the packet of dough on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
“Turn the Dough” #2: Place the packet of dough on a floured surface with the open, narrower edge facing you. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 12 inches wide by 20 inches long. Fold the top third down and bottom third up, again like folding a letter. Place the packet of dough on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. [MAKE-AHEAD NOTE: At this point, you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap, place in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then proceed with the recipe.]
“Turn the Dough” #3: Place the packet of dough on a floured surface with the open, narrower edge facing you. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 12 inches wide by 20 inches long. Sprinkle the entire surface of the dough with ¾ cup of the sugar, then press lightly to help it stick to the dough. Fold the top third down and bottom third up, again like folding a letter. If any sugar falls out, press it back into the folds. Place the packet of dough on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
“Turn the Dough” #4: Place the packet of dough on a floured surface with the open, narrower edge facing you. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 12 inches wide by 20 inches long. Sprinkle the entire surface of the dough with ¾ cup of the sugar, then press lightly to help it stick to the dough. Fold the top third down and bottom third up, again like folding a letter. If any sugar falls out, press it back into the folds. Place the packet of dough on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Prepare the Muffin Tin: Grease the insides of a standard 12-cup muffin pan generously with butter. Set aside.
Shape the Kouign-Amann: Sprinkle the work surface with sugar. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and transfer it to the counter. Sprinkle a little additional sugar over the top of the dough. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 8 inches wide by 24 inches long.
Slice the dough down the length to form two strips that are 4 inches wide by 24 inches long. Cut each strip into 4-inch squares to create 12 squares. Fold the corners of each square toward the center. Pick up each pastry and tuck it firmly into the muffin pan; it will feel like you’re squishing the pastry in there! [MAKE-AHEAD NOTE: At this point, you can cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, allow the pastries to come to room temperature and rise for 1 hour before baking.]
Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise until slightly puffy, 30 to 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Bake the Kouign-Amann: Set the muffin pan on a rimmed baking sheet, place in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Bake until the pastries are deep golden brown and tips are very dark brown, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the pastries stand until they are just cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes. Gently remove them from the muffin pan and set them on the cooling rack to finish cooling completely. The kouign amann can be served warm or at room temperature. They are best served the same day they are made.
Notes
Use the best butter you can find! European butter tends to have higher fat content, which makes it ideal for a recipe like this. I use Kerrygold at home for baking and eating, and used it for this recipe. It’s sold at my local grocery store.
If you do not have a mixer, you can pound the butter by hand. If you use this method, use two sticks of butter, do not cube it. Sprinkle the counter with a tablespoon or two of flour. Lay 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. Pound the butter flat, then fold it in half using the pastry scraper. Try 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 supple, flattens within a few hits of the rolling pin, and folds easily. Sprinkle with additional flour as necessary to prevent the butter from sticking or smearing on the counter or rolling pin. Pound the butter into a rectangle roughly 6 inches by 10 inches. Transfer to a baking sheet and refrigerate while you roll out the dough. (Do not refrigerate the butter for longer than 15 minutes or you will need to pound it again.)
When you refrigerate the dough between “turns”, do not keep it in the refrigerator for much longer than 30 minutes, or the butter will become too stiff to work with easily.
Make a cinnamon-sugar version by mixing ground cinnamon into the sugar before sprinkling it onto the dough.
Possible Add-Ins: If you’d like, you can put a little something extra into the centers - a spoonful of jam or salted caramel, some chocolate chips or a small piece of chocolate. I would suggest doing this once they are cut into squares, then fold the corners into the center over whatever filling you have placed in the center.
Do not let the pastries cool too long in the pan or the sugar will harden and make them nearly impossible to remove neatly.
While these are absolutely best when eaten the same day they are baked, I found them still near perfect the next day after being stored in an airtight container at room temperature. However, after that they softened quite a bit and lost that flaky/crunchy texture they had on the first two days.
You can freeze the baked pastries by letting them cool completely, then wrapping individually in plastic wrap and placing in a freezer-safe bag; freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or place in a 325-degree oven for 10 minutes. (I DO NOT recommend freezing shaped, unbaked pastries; the sugar will liquify in the freezer and turn to syrup.)