Kouign-Amann

Dough

1. Combine the water, 2 teaspoons of sugar, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a mixer. Let stand for 5 minutes, until frothy.
2. Add the flour and 2 tablespoons of softened butter and mix with a fork or a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and knead on low speed for 4-5 minutes, until smooth. Alternatively you can knead by hand for about 8-10 minutes.
3. The dough should be soft and fairly sticky at this point. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1-1 ½ hours or until doubled in size.

First Turn

1. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down and turn out onto a clean surface.
2. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle that is ¼ inch thick and about 16x9 inches. You can pull the corners with your fingers to try and make it as rectangular as possible.
3. Use a grater to grate ½ cup of cold butter over the dough.
4. Fold the dough over in thirds, as you would fold a letter. Again make sure to maintain a rectangular shape as best as possible.
5. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to an hour.

Second Turn

1. Once the dough has chilled, place it on a clean surface with the long end facing you. Roll out to a rectangle that is ¼ inch thick and about 16x9 inches again, keeping the long side facing you.
2. Repeat steps 3-5 of the first turn.

Baking

1. Prep a muffin pan by brushing 1 tablespoon of melted butter in 8 of the muffin wells, followed by a dusting of granulated sugar in the wells. Tap out the excess sugar and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Once the dough has chilled, dust a clean surface with ¼ cup granulated sugar. Place the dough on the sugar and dust the top of it with another ¼ cup of granulated sugar. Roll it into a 12x8 inch rectangle.
3. Use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to cut 8 even strips. Roll each strip up and place in the prepared muffin tin.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the tops are a deep golden brown and the centers reach 212 degrees fahrenheit. Remove from the oven and let cool for 3-4 minutes before very carefully removing from the pan. They will be quite hot, but if they sit in the pan they might stick.
5. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving or storing in an airtight container.