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kouign amann with fillings

Kouign amann

Kouign amann are flaky pastries made using a caramelized pastry dough. I love to fill mine with delicious fillings such as mochi, cookie butter, nutella, and jam!
Prep Time 1 hr 30 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Resting Time 1 hr
Servings 12 pastries

Equipment

  • medium mixing bowl
  • Hand or stand mixer
  • Rolling Pin
  • Baking sheet
  • Parchment paper

Ingredients
  

Pastry dough

  • 200 g (1 cup) warm water
  • 1.5 tsp instant or active dry yeast
  • 300 g (2.5 cups) all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 25 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
  • 250 g (18 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
  • 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar

Mochi & cookie butter filling (for 4 pastries - triple if adding to the whole batch)

  • 4 tbsp cookie butter (I use Lotus Biscoff)
  • 45 g (1/3 cup) glutinous rice flour
  • 25 g (2 tbsp) granulated sugar
  • 90 g (1/2 cup) water
  • corn starch, for sprinkling

Instructions
 

Make the dough

  • In a mixing bowl, add the warm water and yeast. Mix together and let sit for 5 - 10 minutes until frothy. Make sure that the water is warm too the touch, but not hot - otherwise, it might kill your yeast.
  • Add the melted butter, all purpose flour, and salt to the bowl. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Turn onto the countertop and knead for 10 - 15 minutes until smooth. You can also use a stand mixer and knead on medium speed for about 6-8 minutes. Form into a ball and place into an oiled bowl. Let rest for about 1 hour until doubled in size.

Prepare the butter

  • While you wait for the dough to rise, prepare the butter. Measure out a 5 inch by 5 inch square on a sheet of parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Add the softened butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with a paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
  • Spread the softened butter onto the parchment paper square, taking care to smooth out any air bubbles and level out the surface. The square should be about 1/2 inch thick.
  • Wrap and place the square of butter in the fridge for 20 - 30 minutes to firm up before using.

Laminate the dough

  • After the dough has risen, roll out into an 8 inch by 8 inch square. It's important that the corners of the square are clearly defined.
  • Place the square of butter diagonally in the center of the square of the dough. The corners of the butter should point towards the sides of the dough. At this point, the butter should be firm but pliable. If it is rock hard, let is soften for a few minutes before using.
  • Fold each corner of the dough over the butter and pinch the seams together. It should look like an envelope.
  • Working quickly, roll the dough into an 18 inch by 6 inch rectangle. Be very precise with these dimensions. Fold the top third of the rectangle towards the bottom. Then fold the bottom third of the rectangle over so that you now have 3 layers of dough. Wrap in cling wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Repeat this process 2 more times so that you have laminated the dough 3 times in total. Be sure to chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes between each turn.
  • Roll out the dough again into an 18 inch by 6 inch rectangle. This will be the 4th time that you do this. Sprinkle the surface of the dough with about 3/4 of the granulated sugar, saving some to sprinkle on the top of the pastry later. Then, fold the top third of the rectangle towards the bottom, and the bottom third over. Now, the pastry layers have sugar in between. Place in the fridge for 15 - 30 minutes.

Shape & bake the pastries

  • Roll the dough into a 16 by 12 inch rectangle. Sprinkle the surface of the dough with the remaining sugar. Trim off the edges and then divide into 12 even squares.
  • Place the squares on a baking sheet spaced 1 inch apart. Let proof for 30 minutes until puffy. You should see the layers start to separate.
  • Towards the end of the proof, preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C. Top the center of each rectangle with 1 - 2 tbsp of your preferred filling. To add mochi, see the section for "mochi & cookie butter" below.
  • Place in the middle rack and bake for 25 - 30 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, check the pastries. If they're browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.
  • Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Mochi & cookie butter filling

  • I usually make the mochi while I wait for the dough to chill. In a small, microwave-safe bowl mix together the glutinous rice flour, sugar, and water. Microwave for 15 seconds, then give the ingredients a stir. Microwave for another 15 seconds, then stir again. Microwave for a final 15 seconds until the mochi is cooked. It should be translucent and solid. Let cool before handling.
  • Sprinkle the mochi was corn starch and divide into 4 equal pieces.
  • After shaping the kouign amann, spoon 1 tbsp of cookie butter into the center of the square. Cover with a piece of mochi.

Notes

  1. Butter temperature: When you first start laminating, you want the butter to be firm but pliable, not stone cold. Throughout the rest of the lamination process, be sure to chill the dough for 30 minutes between each turn to give the butter a chance to firm up. If you ever feel the butter start to melt, pop the dough back in the fridge before continuing lamination.
  2. Proofing: When proofing, you want the pastries to become puffy and should start seeing clear definition in the layers. 
  3. Fillings: Other than mochi & cookie butter, I also like to use Nutella, jams, custards, or curds.