Breton Butter Cake Recipe
This Breton butter cake is a classic dessert in Brittany. Kouign amann means “bread and butter” and if bread is the staff of life then this particular bread is definitely gilded lilies! Rich in butter and sugar, this cake doesn’t need any decoration, but strawberries or whipped cream make for a special treat.
What You Need
- 1 ounce yeast (instant dry)
- 1 teaspoon of sugar (granulated)
- ¹ 1/4 cups sugar (granulated)
- 3/4 cup water (lukewarm)
- 4 glasses of flour (suitable for all purposes)
- 1 glass of butter (cold, salty)
- 1 egg yolk (beaten)
How to do it
Sprinkle yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar over warm water and let the yeast melt for 5 minutes. Mix the flour into the yeast mixture to get a smooth, thick dough.
On a lightly floured surface, roll and stretch the dough into a large rectangle, about 9 inches x 13 inches. Dot the surface with 1/4 cup cold butter and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar. Fold the dough in quarters.
Do the rolling and folding repeatedly three times.
Preheat oven to 350 F. After the dough is folded in the last quarter, it is placed in a 9-inch round baking dish. Brush the surface of the dough with the yolk, sprinkle over the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Let the buttermilk cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, apply a thin, slippery spatula or knife around the edges of the cake and remove the cakes from the oven. Serve the cake hot with strawberry or cream.
