Quick Kouign-amann
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 25 minutes plus 1.5-2.5 hours resting time
Cooking time: 20 minutes
- 1/3 cup milk, heated until lukewarm
- 1 tablespoon instant dried yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 cups plain all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 250g/8.83ozs butter, cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 200g/7ozs. sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 100g/3.5ozs. butter, extra melted
Step 1 - Heat the milk and stir in sugar and yeast and cover and allow to foam and activate, about 10 minutes. If the yeast does not foam, start again.
Step 2 - Place the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds. Add the butter, water and yeast mixture and pulse again leaving little bits of butter. Form a ball and empty the contents onto a well floured surface. Roll out into a long rectangle and fold into five sections. Roll out again into a very long rectangle and roll it up like a Swiss roll from one end. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Step 3 - Very generously butter a muffin tin with the melted butter and place it in the fridge so that the butter hardens and you can better brush it up the sides. Mix the sugar and salt together in a bowl and then generously sprinkle some of the sugar mixture in the cavities sticking to the butter.
Step 4 - Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Sprinkle some of the sugar and salt mixture on top of a clean surface. Roll out the pastry onto this surface and then top with the sugar mixture.
Step 5 - Cut into 10cms/2.5inch squares and gently lift them into the tin. Using your thumb and index finger pinch the sides and then press down in the centre of the dough. Brush with extra butter and sugar and then allow to rise for 20-30 minutes. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Step 6 - As soon as they are done, have a tray lined with parchment ready. Lift them out of the tin with a palette knife as soon as they are done as they will really stick if you leave them too long. Leave them upturned with the bottoms up to cool and serve once they have cooled off. Tip: do not eat these when they are straight out of the oven. Most pastries and baked goods are best this way but for some reason the kouign-amann is better once it has cooled off.