Breton Butter Cake               

 tags (edit): @Vogel @Tried Cakes Desserts  

 

Kouign Amann (pronounced "kween-ya-MAHN"), a sugary version of puff pastry from Brittany, is arguably one of the world's greatest cakes. (The name comes from the heart of Brittany, where Breton, a Celtic tongue related to Welsh, is still spoken). As the layers of yeasted dough, butter, and sugar bake, they become a flaky pastry that is sweet and buttery inside and crackly and caramelized on top and around the edges. Cookbook authors Naomi Duguid and Jeffrey Alford have come up with an easy version by using store-bought bread or pizza dough. It may not be entirely authentic, but it is entirely heavenly. Serve this warm after dinner with a sip of Port or with afternoon tea. The cake can be kept at room temperature overnight, but it's best eaten the day it's made. Refrigerating will make it stale.

Ingredients

1 pound Frozen Bread Dough or Pizza Dough Thawed
8 tablespoon Salted Butter Chilled Cut Into 16 Pieces
1 tablespoon Salted Butter Melted
3/4 tablespoon Sugar


 

Instructions
 1. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface into a rough 8x12-inch rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 25 minutes. Lightly flour the rolling pin and roll out the dough to a 14x18-inch rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest again for 25 minutes.

2. Butter a 9-inch cast iron skillet. Flour the work surface.

3. Roll out the dough as thinly as possible, keeping a rectangular shape. Scatter 5 slices of the butter over two thirds of the dough and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the sugar. Fold the bare dough into the center and fold in the opposite side, like folding a letter (see NOTES). Dust with flour and roll out again as thinly as possible, retaining the rectangular shape. Top with another 5 slices of butter and 1/4 cup of the sugar, folding, dusting with flour, and rolling out the dough again as before. Repeat the process one last time, using the remaining 6 slices of butter and 1/4 cup of the sugar, folding and rolling it out as thinly as possible.

4. Fold in the corners of the dough to make a slightly round shape and transfer it to the prepared skillet. With a sharp knife, make six 2-inch-long cuts all the way through the dough in a starburst pattern. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes.

5. Place a baking stone or baking sheet in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

6. Brush the dough with the melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Put the skillet on the stone or baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, or until richly browned on top. With a spatula, transfer the cake to a large plate and let rest for 30 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

NOTES:* This is best made on a day or at a time of day when the kitchen remains cool, so the butter between the layers does not melt, which is important to producing the flaky layers. If you have air conditioning, use it to cool the kitchen. You can also slide the dough in and out of the refrigerator between rolling, but this can become vexing.

* After you roll out the dough, scatter the butter and sugar over it, and fold it like a letter, it's best to turn the dough 90 degrees before rolling again. This way you are not always rolling in the same direction and the butter layers become more evenly distributed.

* The more you work a yeasted dough, the more resilient it becomes. If you find that the dough is becoming too elastic and refuses to roll out, cover it loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before continuing. This will relax the dough and make it easier to roll out.

* If you don't have a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, use a regular cake pan. The cake may come out with less crunchy caramelized edges, but it will still be tasty.




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Yields: 6 Servings
     From BEST AMERICAN RECIPES 2005-2006, page 244.

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