kouign amann (queen a-mahn)

How To Make kouign amann (queen a-mahn)

• 1

  In medium bowl, dissolve yeast in water with pinch of sugar. Stir and let stand for about 10 minutes or until foamy.
• 2

  Mix flour and salt and gradually stir into yeast. Dough should be soft and not too sticky. Lightly dust work surface with flour and dump dough onto it.
• 3

  Knead dough with hands until dough is smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. If dough is sticky, knead in additional flour, one tablespoon at a time, until dough no longer sticks to your hands.
• 4

  Brush medium bowl with melted butter and put dough ball into bowl. Cover, and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour.
• 5

  Line a dinner plate with plastic wrap and set aside.
• 6

  Lightly flour your work surface and roll dough into rectangle about 12″ x 18″, with the shorter sides to your left and right.
• 
  7

  Dough may be sticky and difficult to handle. Use a metal pastry scraper to coax dough into shape, and a minimal sprinkling of flour, as necessary. (It will all be beautiful later, trust me.)
• 
  8

  Distribute butter in center of dough and sprinkle with 1/4 cup (50 gr) sugar.
• 
  9

  Grab left side of dough, lift and fold it over center, do same with right side (like you would a letter). You should have what resembles a 3-level pastry.
• 
  10

  Sprinkle entire length of dough with 1/4 cup (50 gr) sugar and (without rolling) fold again into thirds, like a letter, as before.
• 11

  Place on plastic wrap-covered dinner plate, cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.
• 12

  Wipe excess flour from your work surface and dust with a liberal handful of sugar for rolling out pastry again.
• 
  13

  After chilled, remove dough from refrigerator, gently remove from plastic wrap and place it on your sugar-covered work surface. (Use more sugar than shown in the picture).
• 
  14

  <<-- Sugar similar to this (about 1/2 cup sugar)
• 
  15

  Top dough with 1/4 cup (50 gr) sugar, press it in a bit with your hands, and roll into 12"x 18" rectangle again.
• 16

  Again, fold into thirds as before and let rest in refrigerator, on plastic wrap covered plate, covered, for 30-60 mins. 60 mins is better as you want the dough good and chilled.
• 17

  Preheat oven to 425° F (220° C) and brush a 9-inch spring form pan, preferably non-stick, with melted butter. (NOTE - if you don't have a spring form pan, you can use a pie plate or glass baking dish. This can be made round or square)
• 18

  Remove dough from refrigerator, place on sugared work surface and roll into a circle about the size of your pan. Dough will be sticky. Dusting the top with a sprinkle of sugar will help with rolling.
• 19

  Once rolled, lift dough and coax it into pan. It's going to want to break, so fold it in half and slide something flat under it, like the metal bench scrape AND a metal spatula and quickly slip it into the pan. If it does break don't worry about it, just piece it back together in the pan.
• 
  20

  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup (50 gr) sugar and drizzle with 1 TBS melted butter.
• 
  21

  Bake for 40-45 minutes, until top is deeply caramelized. Let stand about 5 minutes, then run a spatula or knife around edges to release your Kouign Amann and slide it onto a baking rack to finish cooling.
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