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A wooden board with several golden-brown, flaky Kouign Amann pastries sprinkled with sugar. One is broken open on a plate to show its airy, layered interior, served with a cup of coffee.

Easy Kouign Amann Recipe 1 Step by Step French Pastry Guide

Learn how to make Kouign Amann with our easy step-by-step guide! A buttery, caramelized French pastry from Brittany that’s flaky, sweet, and irresistible.
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Prep Time 55 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Rising and chilling 3 hours 45 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 12 pastries
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Pastry
Cuisine: European, French
Calories: 3360
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Dough
  • 1.25 cups Lukewarm Water 285g
  • 2.5 tsp Instant Yeast 8g
  • 3.25 cups All-Purpose Flour 390g
  • 1.5 tsp Salt 9g
For the Lamination & Tin
  • 1 cup Unsalted Butter (227g) High-quality, very cold
  • 1.25 cups Granulated Sugar (250g) for layering
  • 2 tbsp Melted Butter For greasing the muffin tin
  • 0.5 cup Granulated Sugar For coating the muffin tin

Equipment

  • 1 Stand Mixer Highly recommended for kneading.
  • 1 Rolling Pin A heavy, non-stick one is best.
  • 1 Bench Scraper Essential for the sticky dough.
  • 1 Standard 12-cup Muffin Tin
  • 1 Ruler or Tape Measure Helpful for rolling to correct dimensions.

Method
 

Make the Dough
  1. In a stand mixer bowl, combine water and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
    A close-up of a perfectly proofed and activated yeast mixture, which has become foamy and bubbly, in a stainless steel stand mixer bowl on a rustic wooden table.
  2. Add flour and salt. Knead with the dough hook on low speed for 8-10 minutes until a soft, smooth dough forms.
    A close-up action shot of a stand mixer's dough hook kneading a ball of smooth, elastic pastry dough in a stainless steel bowl, showing the dough stretching as it develops gluten.
  3. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour until doubled.
    A before-and-after photo collage showing a ball of smooth dough in a glass bowl, and then the same dough after proofing, having doubled in size to become light and airy.
Laminate & Chill
  1. Roll the risen dough on a lightly floured surface into a 10x15 inch rectangle.
    A smooth pastry dough rolled out into a neat rectangle on a lightly floured dark wooden surface, with a wooden rolling pin resting beside it.
  2. Grate the very cold butter over 2/3 of the dough surface, leaving one-third empty.
    A close-up of a chef's hands using a box grater to grate a cold block of yellow butter directly onto one half of a rolled-out rectangle of pastry dough on a dark wooden surface.
  3. Fold the dough like a letter: fold the empty third over the middle, then fold the remaining third on top. Seal the seams.
    A top-down view of pastry dough being folded over grated butter in a unique cross-over style on a dark, floured wooden surface, preparing for multiple layers.
  4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes.
    How and Why to Chill Laminated Dough
  5. Place the chilled dough on a sugar-dusted surface. Roll it again into a 10x15 inch rectangle. Sprinkle with half of the lamination sugar (about 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp). Perform another letter fold.
    An action shot of a wooden rolling pin rolling out a chilled pastry dough on a dark wooden surface that is generously covered in sparkling granulated sugar
  6. Wrap and chill for another 30-45 minutes.
    A close-up, top-down view of a rolled-out pastry dough covered in sparkling granulated sugar, which has been cut into triangular wedges from the center in preparation for folding and shaping.
Shape & Bake
  1. Repeat Step 8, using the remaining lamination sugar.
    A top-down view of a square, baked multi-layered pastry bread being cut into four squares with a pizza cutter on a dark wooden surface, showcasing its incredible concentric flaky layers.
  2. Roll the final dough out into a 12x16 inch rectangle and cut into 12 four-inch squares.
    A top-down view of a pair of hands carefully shaping a square of layered pastry dough on a dark wooden board, folding the layered edges over the top
  3. Fold the four corners of each square into the center, pressing down gently.
    A hand using a pastry brush to prepare a muffin tin cup for a Kouign Amann recipe, showing a pat of butter placed on a layer of brown sugar.
  4. Generously grease and sugar a 12-cup muffin tin. Place the shaped pastries inside.
    A hand carefully placing a small, shaped Kouign Amann pastry into a greased and sugared dark muffin tin, arranging them for the final proof before baking
  5. Let the pastries rest at room temperature for 30 minutes until slightly puffed. While they rest, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
    Four beautifully shaped and sugar-dusted Kouign Amann pastries placed in a dark muffin tin, ready for their final proof before baking.
  6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are a deep golden-brown and the sugar is bubbly and caramelized.
  7. CRUCIAL STEP: As soon as you take the tin out of the oven, use an offset spatula to immediately lift the hot pastries out and place them on a wire cooling rack.
    A close-up action shot of a hot, steaming, and deeply caramelized Kouign Amann pastry being carefully lifted from a dark muffin tin with a metal spatula, dripping with sticky caramel.

Notes

  • Butter Quality: Use the best high-fat, European-style butter you can find. It is the star of this recipe.
  • Sticky Dough: This dough is supposed to be sticky, especially after adding sugar. A metal bench scraper is your best friend.
  • Don't Wait!: You must remove the pastries from the tin while the caramel is still molten, or they will get stuck forever!