Black Cocoa Kouign-Amann

Last year around this time, I attempted regular/traditional Kouign-Amann for the first time. That recipe is still in my drafts lol. My comment on it is that the consistency turned out on the heavy side and I had to bake it longer than indicated. Funny enough, I had to bake these for extra time, too--likely in part because my oven isn't great. Anyhow, these are better than that recipe was, though the chocolate flavor is surprisingly mild. They are a bit of work, not diet food--a special, decadent treat!

Link to my YouTube video 'making of the recipe': https://youtu.be/X6x-a1MqSN4

Original recipe credit: https://bakefromscratch.com/black-cocoa-kouign-amann/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

381g (3 c.) bread flour

2 c. + 36g (3 T.) sugar, divided

12.5g (2 1/2 T.) black cocoa powder

1/2 T. natural (or Dutch-processed) cocoa powder

1 T. kosher salt

340g (~3 sticks) + 1 T. unsalted butter, softened, divided

2 tsp. instant yeast

1 c. plus 2 T. cold/tap water

Directions:

1. Generously butter a 12-cavity muffin/cupcake pan and set aside. 

2. Attach the dough hook on stand mixer. In the mixer's bowl, add the bread flour, 36g of sugar, black cocoa, natural cocoa, kosher salt, 1 T. of the butter, yeast, and water. Mix on low speed until moistened (around 1-2 min), then increase speed to medium/medium high to mix for 8 min.

3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 1 hr. (I went slightly longer and it was still okay, just FYI).

4. Punch dough down, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle some flour atop the dough and roll into a 10" square. Wrap dough square in plastic wrap, place on a flat tray and freeze for 30 min.

5. Meanwhile, on a sheet of parchment paper, draw a 6 1/2" square. Turn the parchment over and place remaining butter (340g/3 sticks) onto the square. Press together, flatten, and shape to match the square's dimensions. Wrap in the parchment and refrigerate for 10-15 min.

6. Place chilled dough on a lightly floured surface. Unwrap the butter block and place in center of dough square. Fold the dough edges up and over (stretch if needed) to cover the butter entirely, pinching and pressing to close dough together.

7. Roll the dough into a 24 x 10" rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter. Roll the dough back into a 24 x 10" rectangle. Repeat the fold and roll one more time. After the last roll, fold up in thirds again, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 45 min.

8. Coat a work surface with 1/2 c. of the sugar. Place the chilled dough on the surface and roll into a 24 x 8" rectangle. Sprinkle the dough with 1/2 c, of the sugar. Fold into thirds, then roll into a 24 x 8" rectangle, sprinkling with sugar as needed to keep dough from sticking to rolling pin. Repeat the sugar/roll process one last time.

9. Cut the dough into twelve 4" squares. Fold the corners of each square into the center, pressing firmly to adhere. Place each into the prepared muffin/cupcake pan. Leave to rest and rise a little on counter for 20 minutes (while you do next step).

10. Place a rimmed baking sheet (larger than the cupcake pan) on the lower rack of oven to catch any drips. Heat oven to 365°F.

11. Transfer cupcake pan to oven and bake until the sugar turns golden and pastries are mostly set in center--at least 30 min (mine took closer to 45). Upon removing from oven, immediately remove pastries from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 20 min. Serve and enjoy!