Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Kouign - Amann
Imagine this: a freshly baked loaf of bread. Close your eyes, take a deep breath. Inhale the aroma. Hmmm.....wonderful, isn't it? To my mind, there is no other culinary aroma quite as enticing as the aroma of a freshly baked loaf of bread.
Now, slather some butter on a slice. Oh, and sprinkle some sugar on it. Eat. There is nothing quite as satisfying as a slice of bread with some butter and sugar.
Or is there?
Meet the Kouign- Amann.
The what? Yes, I hear you, for I had pretty much the same reaction when I first heard about the Kouign - Amann.
“There is a new bakery close to you house,” my daughter’s paediatrician excitedly informed me during one of our visits to her clinic, “and they sell the Kouign - Amann.”
“The what?” I asked her.
“Kweeneen Ahmann. It is a French bread. Lots of butter. Lots of sugar. Sinfully good. You'll love it!,” she told me, writing down the name of the said bakery and the bread.
Back home, I was googling away ‘Kouign Amann’ on the net.
The inimitable David Lebovitz has a recipe for Kouign Amann; why buy what you can make at home? So I rolled up my sleeves and got my fingers deep into the dough.
The first time, I followed his recipe to the letter. The second time, I used cinnamon sugar instead of caster sugar, which makes it a not so authentic Kouign Amann, but believe me when I say it, Kouign - Amann with cinnamon tastes heavenly, especially when had with a cup of strong, unsweetened black coffee.
The pictures, however, are from the first time and so you don’t see any cinnamon sugar in the pictures.
Ingredients:
Dried Yeast: 1 tbsp
Warm water: ¾ cup (I needed about a couple of tablespoons more)
All purpose flour: 2 cups
Sugar: 1 cup +1/3 cup
(to make cinnamon sugar, add 3 tbsp of powdered cinnamon to 1 cup of sugar)
SALTED Butter: 125 gms + 3 tbsps melted butter
Sea salt: 1/2 tsp
Method:
Cut the butter into cubes and let it chill.
Dissolve the yeast in a couple of tbsps of water with a tsp of sugar. Set aside till the yeast is foamy.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture and mix it into the flour.
Add the remaining water in a thin stream till the flour comes together into a soft but not sticky dough. (If the dough feels too sticky, add some flour, a tbsp at a time. If too hard, add water, again a tbsp at a time. The second time, I needed to add some water).
Transfer the dough on a lightly dusted countertop and knead the dough till it feels soft and elastic and doesn't cling to your fingers or stick to the countertop.
Place the dough in a buttered bowl, cover and let it rest for about an hour.
Lightly dust the countertop with some flour and roll the dough into a rectangle 12”x18” (the 12” side should be on your left and right, the top and bottom of the rectangle should be about 18” - mine was not as big, though I didn't measure the exact dimensions).
Place the butter cubes in the centre of the dough and sprinkle ¼ cup of the cinnamon sugar over the butter. Fold the left side of the dough over the centre of the dough, do so with the right end of the dough as well.
Now sprinkle ¼ cup of cinnamon sugar over the length of the folded dough and fold the dough once again into three.
Wrap the dough into a plastic wrap and chill for an hour. (I chilled mine for over 2 hours).
Wipe the counter top clean and then sprinkle it with 1/3 cup of PLAIN caster sugar. Slide the chilled dough on the sugar covered countertop and press ¼ cup cinnamon sugar into the top of the dough.
(drowned in sugar, my entry to Susan's Black and White Wednesday)
Roll the dough into a rectangle once again (of similar dimensions as before). I found the dough more difficult to work with at this stage and so I rolled it for a bit and then finally stretched it with my hands.
Fold it into thirds, wrap it in a cling wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for about an hour.
(the first time, I made three small loaves. If you wish to do the same, divide the dough into 3 at this stage).
Pre-heat the oven to 425 deg F or 220 deg C (I thought 200 deg C worked better, I thought my cakes were a bit dry when I baked them at 220 deg C) and butter a 9” pie plate.
Open the cling wrap and shape the chilled dough into a disc to fit your pie plate. Lift the cling wrap and invert it over the pie plate. Sprinkle the last ¼ cup of cinnamon sugar over the top and drizzle with 1 tbsp melted butter.
Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the top is caramelised. Let it rest for a couple of minutes, slide onto a wire rack and cool for about 10-15 minute.
Taste it. Melted butter oozing out and mingling with caramelised sugar…..oh, utter bliss. The Kouign-Amann has been Yeastspotted, hosted by Hefe and Mehr.
It is customary to post something sweet, something decadent especially when marking blog anniversaries. This Kouign- amann celebrates my third blog anniversary. It is a very special recipe to me, because had it not been for blogging, I would never have attempted making something that isn’t pronounced the way it is written! Blogging has made me stretch my own limits in the kitchen and how!
I know I am not as regular as I’d like to be in posting recipes or in responding to comments, but I want to thank each and everyone of you for visiting my blog over the last three years, leaving me your comments and trying out my recipes.
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sounds new to me, will try. nice pictures
ReplyDeleteVery new and interesting bread. Lovely pics.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on completing 3 years of blogging. Wishing you many more.
interesting bread... looks wonderful
ReplyDeleteGosh! That looks so sinful, with all that butter tucked in. What a wonderful bread for the holidays.
ReplyDeleteThis looks gorgeous. Happy Blog Birthday!
ReplyDeletevery new to me !! looks lovely !!
ReplyDeleteOngoing Event - CC-Holiday Baking
Happy blogversary,wish ya many more milestones,this looks so yum,,,can imagine the Taste with unsweetened coffee
ReplyDeleteLooks great! Nice job! : )
ReplyDeletei am one of those people who come by your site to see if you have posted anything.. love your pictures & am definitely making Kouign- amann this weekend.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your blog's 3rd bday!!
"had it not been for blogging, I would never have attempted making something that isn’t pronounced the way it is written!" - Ha ha ha! A nice way to put it. Happy blog anniversary!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to sink my teeth into that now, it looks so good, especially the second and third photo - the first photo gave me the impression it was a rather flat cake, more like a biscuit, but the close-ups give it height.
Enjoyed this super addictive kouignamann during our summer vacation, i dont want to try them coz of the quantity of sugar and butter, urs looks stunning..
ReplyDeleteCOngrats to ur blog anniversary..
The cake looks fabulous,never heard of it before. Congrats and may you have many more such delicious years!
ReplyDeleteHappy Blog Anniversary! Thats one rich bread, looks incredible!
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your comments.
ReplyDeleteJean, waiting to know how your Kouign Amann turns out.
David, thank you very much for your endorsement!
Sra, I know what you mean by the height....this cake/bread doesn't really rise as much. Moreover, I really didn't have any ideas on how to photograph them.
Priya, the amount of butter and sugar is sinful, isn't it? I always ensure I have a few other partners in crime before I make it!
i never heard of it.. but it does look so good..
ReplyDeletebut, my my... the butter and sugar.. i guess that is the reason it tastes so good :) but once in a while I can do with it :)
Delicious post!! and Happy blog anniversary!!
I bookmarked the recipe when it was David Lebovitz Blog but never make it until now. I really should do it now, I start drooling when looking on your pictures!
ReplyDeleteAnd Happy log anniversary!
Lots of butter? Lots of sugar? Um, yes please. :P Sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteGreat! that looks very delicious.
ReplyDelete