Kouign Amann

YOU GUYS. I made these DELICIOUS french pastries last night.  Kouign Amann (pronounced kween a-mon) is something I’ve been wanting to try since stumbling upon it on David Lebovitz’ blog. David’s finished product looked pretty different from most others I found while poking around the interwebs, so, lucky for you suckers (and the two suckers I live with), I decided to make my own recipe this time, and share David’s another time, TWICE AS MUCH KOUIGN AMANN!

Here’s the recipe I came up with:

Dough:

• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• .25 ounces fresh yeast
• 3/4 cup plus 1/8 cup of water

Topping:

• 2 sticks cold salted butter
• 1 cup sugar

This is a MANY step process, so bear with me peeps.

• Step one – Mix all of the dough ingredients together, making sure not to place the salt and yeast directly next to each other. Mix that dough nice and good, then ball it, place it in a bowl, and score it so that there is more surface area for the dough to rise. Cover the bowl, and place in a warm area. Let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes. 

• Step two – Knead the dough, ball it, place it in a bowl, score it and cover it again. Let the dough rise for another 30 minutes. 

• Step three – role out the dough to approximately 17 inches by 10 inches and sprinkle with sugar. Slice up the cold butter, and place it on the middle third of the dough. 

• Step four – Fold the dough over the buttery center portion one side at a time, sprinkling with sugar after each fold. 

• Step five – Making sure the fold is perpendicular to you, role the dough again to 3 times its current length. Sprinkle with sugar again. 

• Step six – Repeat steps four and five another two times. 
• Step seven – Fold the dough into quarters, as shown below.

• Step eight – Fold dough in half. 

• Step nine – Role out the dough until it is approximately 1/3″ thick.

You can shape your Kouign Amann in two ways:

• Cut strips that are 2 inches wide. Role and place in a buttered and sugared muffin tin. 

• Or cut squares that are approximately 4 inches wide and fold the four corners in to the center. Place in a buttered and sugared muffin tin. 

I also made some bite-sized pieces in a mini cupcake tin with the leftover batter.

• Step ten – Let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes while preheating the oven to 325 degrees.

• Step eleven – Place a baking sheet on the rack below the muffin tins to catch any errant butter runoff. 
• Bake the bite sized pieces for approximately 20 minutes, until golden and caramelized. 

• Bake the regular sized Kouign Amann for approximately 35-40 minutes until golden brown and caramelized. 

Serve piping hot and enjoy!!

 

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!!

 

Spring Means It’s Colorful Maxi Time!

(Anthropologie Tropicalia Pleated Maxi Dress)

This beauty is currently on sale in stores (out of stock online) for $99!

 

Madewell Matching Separates

(Top and Shorts – Madewell, available here and here, Shoes – Pierre Hardy for Gap, these babies and I go way back… as evidenced here)

Magnetic Wooden Tiles

These things are awesome. Pricing is upon request, translation get ready to sell your soul or your first-born. But the idea is brilliant, and they are gorgeous. Check ’em out here and here.

Rue’s Color Issue

…is BLOWING MY FREAKING MIND.

Seriously, there is so much fun inspiration to be partaken in (Partook?).  Join me, won’t you?

You can check out the entire issue here.

Dessert Crepes

One of my absolute FAVORITE desserts is crepes.  Here’s a recipe that really hits the spot:

 

 

What you’ll need:

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups of milk
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter – melted

 

Then you just need some delicious toppings – my favorites are:

• Butter (while the crepe is still warm so it melts to perfection)
• Vanilla ice cream
• Caramel sauce
• Cinnamon
• Chopped toasted almonds

 

Technically you’re supposed to mix these in a certain way, but I cheat do it the simpler way. First blend all of the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Then,  toss all of the wet ingredients into a blender and blend away!  Add the dry ingredients and blend blend blend!  15 seconds should do it.

Heat a lightly greased crepe pan (if you don’t have a crepe pan don’t worry, just use a regular large sized pan and call it good), and pour a small amount of batter along the edge of the pan, tilting the pan back and forth to coat the bottom of the pan with a thin film of batter. Pouring along the edge helps the crepe batter to not pool in the middle of the pan. When the crepe slides back and forth easily when you jiggle the pan, it’s time to flip! Cook the second side until lightly golden, and slide onto a plate!  For the subsequent crepes you shouldn’t need to grease the pan unless the crepes start to stick.

 

 

Add your toppings, and enjoy!  I place mine in the middle like a burrito and fold in thirds. YUM!

 

 

Give her a try and let me know what you think!

 

Spring Is In The Air

(Lace top – Forever 21, Skirt – Gap, Sandals – Sam Edelman)

Hand Picked~ Anthropologie Sales

Best Of Lonny Mag

I love reading…except for when I’m looking at pretty things. When I’m looking through a design book, or scrolling through an online magazine…or reading blogs for that matter, I skip over the text and go straight to the beautiful images.

So, here are my fave images from the last couple Lonny Mags.

Enjoy!

Baby Got Brass

Some of the images clogging up my Pinterest this week….

Is there such a thing as too much brass? If there is, I don’t think I’m maxed out yet.