A type of Breton pastry, a kouign amann is somewhat similar to a croissant, but sprinkled with sugar and shaped differently. During baking, the sugar caramelizes, yielding a flaky, butter-and-sugar-bronzed pastry that can only be described as ambrosial. To vary the flavor, use vanilla sugar or rub the zest of 2 oranges or lemons into the sugar. Or tuck a small spoonful of jam into the center of each pastry before folding the corners into the center.

Prepare the dough for:

Proceed with the recipe through the first two turns, as directed. After chilling the dough, roll it out into an 18 × 12-inch rectangle and sprinkle with:

Press the sugar into the dough. Fold the dough into thirds, giving it another turn. Roll out the dough once more, into an 18 × 12-inch rectangle, and sprinkle with:

Press the sugar into the dough again, fold the dough into thirds, and chill for 15 minutes. Liberally butter 18 cups of two standard 12-cup muffin tins. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the dough into a 24 × 12-inch rectangle, about ¼ inch thick. Let stand for 5 minutes. Trim any irregular edges and cut the dough into 4-inch squares. Fold the four corners of each square of dough into the center, pressing them gently to get them to stick (see above). Fit the pastries into the muffin cups and sprinkle with:

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy, 30 to 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Place the pastries in the oven and reduce the heat to 375°F. Bake until deep golden brown and caramelized, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the pans from front to back and switching racks halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool, using a small offset spatula to help pry the pastries from the muffin tin. Do not let the pastries cool completely in the tin or they will stick badly.