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Kouign-Amann Recipe: Tips for Making Kouign-Amann

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Dec 5, 2024 • 5 min read

Seasoned with the most basic pantry ingredients—just salt and sugar—this buttery French pastry attains a superlatively crisp and flavorful salted caramel crust. This recipe may take time, but it’s incredibly satisfying to make at home.

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What Is a Kouign-Amann?

A kouign-amann (“queen-ah-mahn”) is a French pastry with a caramelized exterior and a flaky interior. Hailing from Douarnenez in Brittany, France, “kouign-amann” means “butter cake” in the Breton language. Its name is spot on; this flaky, laminated pastry is essentially 50 percent butter and 50 percent yeasted dough. Thanks to its eye-popping quantities of butter and sugar, the kouign-amann achieves a crisp, glassy exterior that shatters when you bite into it.

Laminating the dough—stacking layers of butter and layers of dough, one on top of the other—allows bakers to achieve the dessert’s signature flakiness and texture. The lamination process is key when making puff pastry (made of flour, butter, water, and salt) and croissant dough (puff pastry enriched with yeast and milk). For a foolproof introduction to lamination, learn how to make the perfect croissant with Chef Dominique Ansel.

Croissant vs. Kouign-Amann: What’s the Difference?

The main difference between croissant dough and kouign-amann is the latter’s regionally inspired salty seasoning. After all, fleur de sel (“flower of salt,” a mineral-rich flaky salt) originated in Brittany. If you can’t find fleur de sel, use kosher salt or sea salt to achieve kouign-amann’s signature caramel-corn flavor; table salt has smaller grains, making food taste saltier.

Additionally, croissant dough may contain milk or cream, but kouign-amann does not.

3 Tips for Making Kouign-Amann

Making this patisserie staple from scratch is a project. Despite containing just a few ingredients, kouign-amann can take hours to complete. Here are some tips (and a shortcut) to make your time worthwhile:

  1. 1. Block off time for the baking project. Save kouign-amann for a weekend or other low-key, commitment-free time, so you can devote an entire day to crafting this pastry. Begin with a clear workspace to allow room for the recipe to unfold, stress-free.
  2. 2. Try a shortcut. Traditional lamination involves wrapping dough around a block of butter. However, there’s a faster way to make laminated dough, known as the “rough puff” method. To skip making the butter block, grate one stick of frozen, unsalted butter and spread it evenly onto the dough for one lamination, then a second stick of frozen, unsalted butter for a second lamination.
  3. 3. Remove baked pastries from the tins immediately. Given enough time, caramelized sugar can stick to even the most well-greased nonstick surfaces. To prevent your pastries from getting glued to the baking dish, transfer them to a wire rack the moment they’re out of the oven.

Classic Kouign-Amann Recipe

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13 Ratings | Rate Now

makes

12

prep time

50 min

total time

1 hr 10 min

cook time

20 min

Ingredients

For the dough:

For the butter block:

For assembling the pastry:

Note: The total time does not include 2 hours and 15 minutes of inactive time.

Make the dough:

  1. 1

    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Set it aside until bubbly, about 5–10 minutes. (If the yeast mixture does not look bubbly after 10 minutes, whisk it again. It should become foamy; if not, start over with new yeast.)

  2. 2

    Add the flour, sugar, and salt, mixing with the dough hook on low speed until just combined, about 1–2 minutes.

  3. 3

    Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky, about 8–10 minutes. (The dough should be fairly wet. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour; if it’s too stiff, add a little water.)

  4. 4

    Butter a large bowl and, using a bench scraper, transfer the dough from the stand mixer bowl to the buttered bowl.

  5. 5

    Cover the bowl loosely with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let the dough proof in a warm, draft-free place until it nearly doubles in size, about 1 hour (and no more than 90 minutes).

  6. 6

    Once proofed, gently punch down the dough to deflate.

  7. 7

    Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin and roll the dough into a 10-inch square.

  8. 8

    Using a bench scraper, carefully transfer the dough square to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

  9. 9

    Cover the dough square with plastic wrap and freeze it for 10 minutes.

  10. 10

    Using a bench scraper, gently flip the dough and freeze it for another 10 minutes.

Make the butter block:

  1. 1

    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, flour, and salt on low speed until glossy, about 5 minutes.

  2. 2

    Place a large sheet of parchment paper onto a counter or workspace.

  3. 3

    Using a bench scraper or rubber spatula, scrape the butter mixture onto the paper and spread it into a 7-inch square.

  4. 4

    Wrap the butter block with parchment paper like a present, using the paper to tighten and neaten up the rectangular shape.

  5. 5

    Refrigerate the butter block until it’s firm but supple, about 15 minutes (and no more than 20 minutes).

Assemble the pastry:

  1. 1

    Remove the dough from the freezer and transfer it onto a floured surface.

  2. 2

    Place the butter block on the dough so that the corners point to the sides of the dough.

  3. 3

    Pull the corners of the dough over the butter block and pinch to seal.

  4. 4

    Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 24x8-inch rectangle.

  5. 5

    Rotate the dough 90 degrees counterclockwise and fold the dough into thirds, like a letter.

  6. 6

    Roll the dough back out into a 24x8-inch rectangle and repeat. (If the butter starts to melt during the lamination process, return the dough to the refrigerator for 15 minutes.)

  7. 7

    Cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes (and no more than 2 hours).

  8. 8

    Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

  9. 9

    In a small bowl, combine the sugar and salt, mixing until incorporated (clean hands are your best tool here).

  10. 10

    Remove the dough from the refrigerator and transfer it onto a lightly floured workspace.

  11. 11

    Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the salt and sugar mixture over the dough, using a rolling pin to press the mixture in and roll the dough into a 16x12-inch rectangle.

  12. 12

    Flip the dough over, coat it with another 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture, and repeat the process on the other side.

  13. 13

    Butter a 12-muffin tin.

  14. 14

    Sprinkle the buttered tin with 2 tablespoons of the salt and sugar mixture, tapping the sides of the tin to coat.

  15. 15

    Cut the dough into 12 even squares.

  16. 16

    Sprinkle a ¼ cup of the sugar and salt mixture over the cut dough.

  17. 17

    Lift one square, bringing all four corners together in the middle. Gently place the dough pouch bottom-side down into the muffin tin. Repeat with the remaining squares.

  18. 18

    Sprinkle the remaining sugar and salt mixture over the pastry.

  19. 19

    Bake until the kouign-amann are golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.

  20. 20

    Remove the kouign-amann from the pan and transfer them to a cooling rack.

  21. 21

    Let the pastries cool completely before serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

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