Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Kouign-Amann

When I look at recipes for cakes, I make mental notes like “this one would be great for a birthday,” or “this is the cake for a spring party,” or “I have to remember this one during the holidays.” But, with the new book from Gesine Bullock-Prado, I was making all those usual mental notes and also thinking “I want to bake this cake just to see if I can do it.” The new book is Bake It Like You Mean It, and I received a review copy. There are showpiece cakes with intricate layers and beautiful frosting; there are meringues layered with fillings or built into a torte; and there are cheesecakes, mousse cakes, and even simple pound cakes. The Banana Caramel Slices are layered with chocolate sponge cake and caramel cream and topped with a chocolate glaze and caramelized bananas. The Citrus Angel Food Cake combines lime, orange, and lemon batter baked in one pretty cake. And, there’s a Checkerboard Cake, a Puzzle Cake, and a big roulade turned on its side that looks like it’s made with vertical layers when sliced. I want to make all of these cakes. There are clear instructions and tips, a good bit of humor to keep the book feeling fun, and helpful photos show the process for some recipes. After reading through recipes and looking at photos, I had several aha moments of realizing these cakes look more complicated than they might actually be to make. In addition to all those stunning layer cakes, there’s also a chapter for yeast-risen goodies like Brioche, Tangerine Dream Tea Ring, and Kouign-Amann. Since I didn’t have a handy occasion for a big cake with several layers and Kouign-Amann is something I’ve wanted to try making for the longest time, I started with that. 

This is a Breton cake, or mini cake depending on how it’s made, and the name quite appropriately comes from the words for cake and butter. There are only a few ingredients here which means it's a celebration of butter and sugar. So, this is a time to splurge on really good butter, and I used vanilla sugar from a jar where vanilla pods get stuffed after scraping out seeds. Making the dough for the little cakes is a lot like making puff pastry. A simple yeast-risen dough was rolled out, a block of butter was placed on one side, the dough was folded over, and it was rolled and folded, chilled, and rolled and folded again. For these cakes, the dough is rolled in sugar rather than flour. So, you end up with layers and layers of butter, dough, and sugar that are cut and folded into squares that bake into sweet, little, tender cakes with crispy, sugary edges. 

I love finding out things aren’t as difficult to make as they look, and the Kouign-Amann was a perfect example of that. This will be the book to grab when special occasions demand an impressive dessert. And, it’s also the book to grab when you just want to try baking something new and fun. 

Kouign-Amann 
Recipe reprinted with publisher's permission from Bake It Like You Mean It.

If you’ve had the pleasure of spending time in Brittany, no doubt you have had a taste of a kouign-amann. If you’ve had the pleasure of spending time in Brittany and you didn’t eat kouign-amann, then you never really went to Brittany at all because you can’t fully appreciate the place and her people until you take a bite of that crispy, sweet, buttery, slightly-chewy-in-the-center-and-caramelized-on-top-and-on-the-edges pastry. 

2 1/4 cups (450 g) granulated sugar, divided 
2 teaspoons salt 
5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the work surface 
2 tablespoons instant yeast 
 1 pound (455 g) unsalted European butter, at room temperature 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, combine 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) water, 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar, and the salt. Add the flour and yeast and mix until a smooth, shiny dough forms, about 10 minutes. If the air conditions are very humid, you may need to add a bit more flour. If dry, add a few tablespoons of water. The dough should be smooth and pull away from the sides of the bowl. 

Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl and turn it over a few times to coat thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area of your kitchen to allow to proof until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar. Mix until the two are well blended and the butter is smooth but not soft. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a rough 8-by-11-inch (20-by-28-cm) rectangle. Cover completely with plastic wrap and, using a rolling pin, gently even out the butter into an even block. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. 

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour as well. Roll the dough into a rough rectangle, approximately 12 by 18 inches (30.5 by 46 cm). Place the butter block on one side of the dough and fold the second half over the dough block. Press along the edges of the dough block to secure the butter inside the dough. 

Sprinkle the work surface evenly with 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar. Place the dough on the sugar and roll out into a rectangle approximately 12 by 18 inches (30.5 by 46 cm). Sprinkle the top with 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar. Fold one short half toward the middle and fold the other half over on top of that, as if you were folding a business letter. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes. 

Again, sprinkle your work surface with 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar, and sprinkle 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar over the top of the dough in an even layer. Roll out the dough into a rectangle 12 by 18 inches (30.5 by 46 cm) and fold into a business letter again. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. 

Sprinkle 1/2 cup (50 g) sugar onto the work surface and roll the dough into a rectangle 8 by 16 inches (20 by 40.5 cm). Using a very sharp pastry wheel, cut the dough into eight (4-inch / 10-cm) squares. Prepare each pastry by folding each corner of the square toward the center and pressing the corner to seal into place (you’ve just created a smaller square). Continue until you’ve finished folding all the squares. Sprinkle the squares with the remaining 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes. 

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top is a deeply golden brown and caramelized. Eat while warm! 

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25 comments:

  1. Beautiful and ever so tempting! A delightful speciality which I have to try making very soon...

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. I had this for the first time at the famous Les Madeleines in Salt Lake and was totally hooked!

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  3. I have not tried a kouigan-amann yet. This is the first time I have ever heard about this. Apparently, they look a lot like a pastry than a cake. Yours look very flakey and crispy. Must be really delicious!

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    1. These really are more pastries than cake. I've also seen them made into a bigger shape, but I've never tried that version. They were really delicious!

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  4. Never tried louign-amann either.... They almost looks like a danish with no filling.... Looks amazing!

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  5. I love the looks of this! I've not had this before (nor do I believe I've heard of it). Looks wonderful - thank you.

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  6. Another thing to try :) kouigan-amann sounds delicious.

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  7. These are gorgeous. Are they a cake? They look like a pastry. I have never heard of these before xx

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  8. I got this book to review also and still haven't made anything from it because the recipes seem to require so much time! (or at least a lot of focus lol). I somehow seem to have missed this but it actually looks doable on a weeknight! Bookmarked!

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  9. Stunning Kouign-Amann! Happy to hear the recipe was not too difficult! Another great baking book I "must" have!

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  10. I can't wait to get my hands on this book- if only to gawk at the pictures as I don't know that I'll be making any complicated cakes in the near future. I've always wondered about kouign-amann as well- it seemed complicated to me too. Glad it's not so bad. And yours looks terrific!

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  11. i have never had one of these before but they look and sound heavenly!!

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  12. Oh Lisa, this pastry sounds delicious from your description and sure the pictures confirm it.
    It would be a lovely treat for a weekend brunch.
    Have a great weekend :)

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  13. i can see why you wanted to try these--what a great task, and what a delightful payoff! challenge accepted! :)

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  14. Wow una gran receta se ve muy tentador,abrazos y abrazos.

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  15. Mmm, there is only sugar on top, but you know what? Sometimes when the dough is perfectly soft and crunchy and flaky and buttery, you don't need anything on top, it speaks for itself.

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  16. It sounds delicious and very interesting to make. Something between puff pastry and brioche. It's in my list to try soon.

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  17. I have her first and second books...she is a brilliant pastry chef. These look divine, Lisa. Will look into the book.

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  18. I never saw that cookbook before, thanks for sharing.

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  19. This looks absolutely amazing, Lisa.
    Crispy and so tempting. I'm sure this is going to be one of our favorites for breakfast or tea time :)

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  20. I have always wanted to make kouign amann after having and loving it once, but I've always been turned off by the level of difficulty. No more. I will have to put this on my to-do list.

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  21. Oh my!!! I have wanted to make Kouign-Amann for ages but really all that butter scared me! And since I pretty much live in Brittany (long, complicated history) I can pop out and buy just one when in the mood. Yours are perfect! And I so want this book!

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  22. Incredible job! I had never had one of those pastries until this year and I was blown away by the taste and the texture. This might be a good book for me. I'm always saying that my cakes taste good but are lacking in the looks department. I'd love to offer a little more than just good taste but I need some serious help.

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  23. Wow...they are incredible!!! Hard to make?

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