Pastry Chef School: Kouign Amann, Challah, Naan, English Muffins, Breadsticks
This week in pastry school we baked off yeasted pastries: Kouign Amann, Waffles, English Muffins, Breadsticks, Spelt Bread, Bagels and more.
We started off the week by baking Kouign Amann laminated pastry. It’s a yeasted dough folded around a butter block and turned three times (more on lamination here). In the third and final lamination turn we add a ton of sugar that gets incorporated while rolling out the dough. The sugar is used instead of bench flour and is rolled into the dough on top as well. The sugar gets added only in the third and final turn since otherwise it’ll “melt” into the dough.
Shaping Kouign Amann is pretty simple. After rolling out that third turn thin we cut out 3.5"-4" squares place them in heavily buttered aluminum cups, fold the tips to avoid burning them, let proof for 20m until puffy and bake at 375°F until golden. Once out of the oven we quickly turn the pastry out of the aluminum cups into a rack to cool. If not turned out quickly the sugar sets and the pastry will be stuck inside the cups.
I love making Challah. It’s a simple yeasted dough with bread flour, eggs, milk, butter, sugar water, honey and salt. The dough gets kneaded for 8–10m until smooth, soft and elastic. We then ferment it for an hour, shape, proof, egg wash, decorate and bake at 400°F.
How to braid Challah? I’ve always struggled with braiding but I think this time I actually got it. First, start by braiding from the middle->down and then flip the dough 180° to braid the other half middle->down. To braid, alternate moving the external braid (left then right then left, etc) under the central braid. So it’ll be left braid under center braid becomes center braid, right braid under center braid becomes center braid, repeat. Finally, combine the tips and fold under the loaf.
We made this Naan. The Naan dough had a 15h prefermented “Biga” made from whole wheat, water and 0.1% yeast. The dough itself was made from bread flour, whole wheat, the prefermented Biga, water, yogurt, salt, yeast, and olive oil. The whole thing gets combined as a dough, improved kneading for 3–5m, proofed, divided into 400g pieces and then shaped by stretching.
The shiny crust comes from brushing with olive oil before baking, and baking with steam.
We baked off Dinkelbrot which is 100% Spelt Bread. Spelt is related to wheat but extremely low in gluten contents. When making this bread we actually make a batter (not a dough) and then scoop it into bread loafs where it bakes.
How to make this bread? The day before baking we combine most ingredients (milled spelt, water, buttermilk, honey, seeds and 0.1% starter) and let that soak overnight. The next day we add osmotolerant yeast and salt and let ferment for 1h. We then scoop into loaf pans and proof for 1h. The loafs gets baked at 420°F for 15m and 360°F for an additional 35m. It then must rest overnight to cool and let the protein structure gel build.
These Liege Waffles with Chocolate Caramel Sauce tasted amazing. They had this buttery richness that I’d normally associate with butter croissants. That comes from about a third of the total weight of ingredients being butter. The dough has bread flour, butter, pearl sugar, milk, eggs, brown sugar, yeast, vanilla and rum. The whole thing get combined until pulling from the side of a mixer, fermented for an hour, divided into 60g pieces, proofed and grilled.
How to grill waffles? We used a waffle pan on 175°F. The important thing is to monitor the temperature on the pan since if it drops the sugar on the outside won’t caramelize as much and it’ll the texture won’t be as crunchy.
These “Turkish Simit” are sold all over the middle east and I know them as “Jerusalem Bagels”. It’s a yeasted dough made from ap flour, water, and a bit of salt, yeast and sugar. The dough is then fermented until doubled in size, rolled out to a rectangle, cut into strips, and twisted unto itself and connected like a Bagel. It’s then dipped in a solution of water and Pekmezi (grape molasses) and rested for 15m. Finally it’s baked at 425°F until golden.
These English Muffins had the perfect texture. They’re made from a fussy yeasted dough . They’re then divided 80g pieces, shaped into a greased 3" ring mold and left to proof for 45m.
The muffins are then grilled on 325°F hot grill for 30m while flipping to avoid burning until internally temped to 190°F and the outside becomes wrinkly.
Here’s the recipe:
These Breadsticks look and taste like… breadsticks. They’re made from a yeasted dough with bread flour, water, garlic oil, butter, salt and yeast. The dough is developed until passes window pane, fermented until doubles in size, degassed, let to rest for 15m, rolled out 1/4" thick rectangle, cut into 12" strips, rolled upon itself, proofed for 15m and baked at 350°F until golden.
Decorating Breadsticks has two options:
- To get that beautiful swirl we press seeds into the dough before cutting 12" strips and swirling.
- For a breadstick decorated evenly we brush olive oil and then sprinkle seeds all over.
Read more about my adventures in pastry school by reading about last week’s lean breads:
