Breton Butter Cake
- 1 18 teaspoons dry yeast
- 3/4 teaspoon orange flower water, more for sprinkling
- 1 13 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cake flour
- 18 teaspoon coarse salt
- 3/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, preferably French, more for buttering bowl
- 3/4 cup sugar, more for plate and top of cake
- 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
- In a small bowl, combine yeast with 2/3 cup water and the orange flower water.
- Let sit until bubbly.
- In a large bowl, combine the flours, salt and yeast mixture.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth.
- Butter a large bowl and add dough.
- Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 30 to 60 minutes.
- Place in refrigerator to firm up, about 30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, pound chilled butter into a 5-inch square.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let come almost to room temperature; it should have an icing-like texture.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 10-inch disk.
- Place butter on top and fold dough up and around it to cover.
- Working quickly, roll out dough so that it is 2 feet long and 1 foot wide.
- Using a pastry brush, brush off excess flour.
- Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar, and fold into thirds as if folding a business letter.
- Turn 90 degrees, sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar, roll out to 2 feet long and 1 foot wide, and fold into thirds.
- Repeat 2 more times, scraping up sticky areas.
- Avoid using too much flour.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Butter and sugar a 9-inch glass pie plate.
- Place dough in plate, tucking corners under.
- Let rise in a warm place until soft and puffy, 1 to 2 hours.
- Brush surface with melted butter, and sprinkle with a generous amount of sugar and a little orange flower water.
- Bake until risen and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
- If top browns before bottom, cover with foil.
- The bottom should be hazelnut brown.
- Remove from oven, slice and serve warm.
yeast, orange flower water, flour, cake flour, salt, butter, sugar, butter
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/8421 (may not work)