Modern Baker: Kouing Amman: Breton Butter & Sugar Pastry

      The seventh recipe I made from the Yeast-Risen Breads section of The Modern Baker  by Nick Malgieri, was the one for Kouing Amman:  Breton Butter & Sugar Pastry, on pages 102-103.  (We are not publishing recipes from the book, so if you like what you see, buy the book and bake along with or without us). 

      The ingredient list is not long:  all-purpose flour, yeast, water, salt, butter, more butter, and sugar. 

      The recipe is a bit fussy because you are, after all, making pastry.  That said, the fussiness is minimal and if you follow each step closely:  make dough, let sit in frig, roll in sugar, add butter layers, fold, roll in more sugar, sit in frig, bring back out, roll in sugar, fold, sit, put in pan, let rise 2 hours, and bake for an hour.  You end up with a great pastry. 

      It takes a long time to make because there are several "sits" in the refrigerator and a long rise before baking, but those are not times where you are actually engaged in doing anything with it, just waiting, so you can do other things.
      Worth it?  Oh yes, definitely worth it.  I found the whole process enjoyable. The pastry has a crunchy top, crunchy caramel-like sides, and a soft and tender crumb inside that melts in your mouth.  Definitely a repeat, something to make for a special treat.

      If you would like to bake along or be a part of the Modern Baker group, you will find all that, plus a tab to link to the blogs posting the Breads, with the blogroll here.