Recipe
for :
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Kouign-Amman - Breton Butter Yeast Cake
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 This
recipe comes from Sue Brewer who is lucky enough
to live in Brittany where she has her own gites to rent
- have a look for yourself <click
here>
I
asked Sue to do her own introduction . . . . .
"Originally
from London my better half and I have lived in a little
hamlet called Le Millet near Ploeuc sur Lie in France
for the past three years. Although life in the Cotes
d'Armor region of Brittany is quite idyllic there are
some downsides, notably the price and strength of tea
bags, unavailability of sliced back bacon (who can live
without bacon sarnies) and finally the lack of Indian
cuisine.
The
first two things we must stock up on during our infrequent
visits to England, but curries and bhajis - pas du problem!
I
realised that the only way I was ever going to have
an 'Indian takeaway' in France was to make it myself.
Now this isn't as silly as it sounds; I always make
the curries or whatever in large quantities and then
freeze them in meal-sized portions. So Saturday night
is still takeaway night, either sharing the meal with
friends or to eat whilst watching some rubbish on the
television - you know the sort of thing that's on TV
on a Saturday night.
OK
I do bring back the spices from dear old blighty as
here in France they are rare and, if found, expensive
(except for that awful pale yellow curry powder) but
the rest is down to moi."
"The
rather unprepossessing appearance belies the delicious
buttery and caramel flavour of this very sugary cake.
Kouign-Amman literally means cake (kouign) and butter
(amman). It is best served warm."
Ingredients
300g
/ 10 1/2 oz plain flour
8g / 1/4 oz easy blend dried yeast
250g / 8 1/2 oz slightly salted butter, softened for
spreading
200g / 7oz caster sugar
1 egg yolk lightly beaten
pinch of salt
Method
- In
a bowl, mix the flour and yeast with a pinch of salt
and add enough water to make a soft dough. Shape the
dough into a ball, place on a floured board, cover
with a tea towel and leave to rise for 30 minutes
in a warm place.
- With
the heel of your hand, push the risen dough into a
disc about 30 cm / 12 in diameter. Spread half the
butter over the disc, leaving an unbuttered border
around the edge. Sprinkle 75g / 2 1/2 oz of the sugar
over the butter. Fold in four edges of the disc to
meet in the middle and make a rectangle, and press
to seal. Leave the dough to rest in a cool place for
20 - 30 minutes. As you will have realised, this process
is the same as for preparing puff pastry.
- Preheat
the oven to 220°C / 425°F / gas mark 7. Roll
out the dough with a floured, flattened hand, spread
with the remaining butter, sprinkle with 75g / 2 1/2
oz of the sugar, fold as before and leave to rest
in a cool place for another 20 - 30 minutes.
- Finally,
gently roll the dough into a disc about 24 cm / 9
1/2 in. diameter and 2 cm / 3/4 in thick. Brush the
top with egg yolk and sprinkle on the remaining sugar.
If you want a very neat shape, place the dough in
a 25 cm / 10 1/2 in mould, otherwise put it on a baking
sheet with a lip (to catch the melted butter) and
bake for 30 minutes until the top is caramelized and
golden brown. Serve warm.
Serves
6
Sue
Brewer
If
you would like to stay in one of Sue's cottages at Le
Millet or learn more about Brittany visit her website
- www.french-holiday-cottages.com
or send her an email to sue@french-holiday-cottages.com
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