Gluten-Free Kouign Amann

Kouign amann in the Breton style: a psyllium-based gluten-free yeast dough laminated with butter and sugar, folded into squares and baked in a muffin tin until the outside is deeply caramelized and crisp and the inside soft and layered.

Prep: 60 min Cook: 28 min Total: 330 min Serves: 12

At a glance: This hard desserts recipe yields 12 servings in about 5h 30m (60 min prep, 28 min cook). It uses 11 ingredients — including warm water, instant yeast, granulated sugar — and walks through 8 steps. Updated October 24, 2026. Browse more desserts recipes or return to all gluten-free recipes.

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Cross-Contamination Warning for Gluten-Free Kouign Amann: When preparing this desserts recipe, rolling pins and pastry boards hold flour in their grain. Roll this dough between parchment or on a freshly washed nonporous surface. Flour dust travels. Bake this on a day the kitchen is not also handling flour that contains gluten, use clean bowls, beaters and baking sheets, and keep the gluten-free flour blend in its own sealed container.

Gluten-Free Notes for Gluten-Free Kouign Amann: The laminated yeast dough uses a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend with psyllium husk and xanthan gum instead of flour that contains gluten. Use instant yeast, psyllium and a flour blend labeled gluten-free.

Scale Recipe:

servings

Ingredient amounts update automatically

Instructions

1 Whisk the warm water, yeast, 1 tbsp sugar and psyllium and let stand for 5 minutes until gel-like. Mix the gluten-free flour blend, xanthan gum (if using) and salt, add the gel and melted butter, and beat for 3 minutes into a smooth dough. Pat into a 6-inch square, wrap and chill for 1 hour.
2 Pound and roll the cold salted butter between parchment into a 5-inch square. Chill for 20 minutes, until cold but bendable.
3 Roll the dough between floured parchment into a 9-inch square, set the butter on it diagonally and fold the corners over to enclose it. Roll into a 6x16-inch rectangle and fold in thirds like a letter. Chill for 30 minutes.
4 Roll again into a 6x16-inch rectangle, sprinkle with half the 2/3 cup sugar, fold in thirds and chill for 30 minutes. Repeat once more with the remaining sugar and chill for 30 minutes.
5 Butter a 12-cup muffin tin well and sprinkle each cup with sugar. Roll the dough into a 12x16-inch rectangle on a sugared surface and cut 12 4-inch squares. Fold the four corners of each square to the center, press lightly, and set them in the cups.
6 Cover and let rise at cool room temperature for 30-45 minutes, until slightly puffy.
7 Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 25-30 minutes, until deep golden and caramelized.
8 Cool for 2-3 minutes, then lift them out onto parchment before the caramel hardens. The sugar is very hot, so use tongs. Cool for 15 minutes before eating.

Tips & Notes

Lift the kouign amann out of the tin 2-3 minutes after baking. If they cool in the pan, the caramel hardens and glues them in.
Use the parchment to lift and fold the dough at every turn. Gluten-free laminated dough tears easily, and small tears are fine since the sugar seals them.
Bake the kouign amann until the sugar is a deep amber. Pale ones taste sweet but miss the bittersweet caramel crunch.

Common questions

What cross-contamination risk is specific to Gluten-Free Kouign Amann?

Check warm water, about 110°F, instant yeast, granulated sugar, for the dough before they go into Gluten-Free Kouign Amann. Rolling pins and pastry boards hold flour in their grain. Roll this dough between parchment or on a freshly washed nonporous surface. Flour dust travels. Bake this on a day the kitchen is not also handling flour that contains gluten, use clean bowls, beaters and baking sheets, and keep the gluten-free flour blend in its own sealed container.

Which gluten-free swaps does Gluten-Free Kouign Amann use?

Gluten-Free Kouign Amann relies on 4 tsp psyllium husk powder, 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend and 3/4 tsp xanthan gum. Keep those gluten-free-labeled products in place of a gluten-containing flour or sauce.

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