Kouign-Amann (Round)

Combine water, sugar and yeast in a large bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Add the melted butter, 2 cups of the bread flour and the salt. Mix with a wooden spoon until the flour is fully hydrated.
Sprinkle remaining ½ cup bread flour onto your work surface. Turn out dough and coat in the bread flour. Knead until soft and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Transfer to a buttered bowl, cover and proof for 90 minutes. While you wait, make the seasoned sugar by combining 2/3 cup sugar and 2 tsp salt.
Brush the muffin tin with melted butter. Sprinkle some seasoned sugar to coat the tin evenly. Place the tin in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured work surface. Roll out into a rectangle about ⅛-¼ inch thick. You may need to stretch your dough into a rectangle shape, as it may not roll out perfectly rectangular.
Grate 1 stick of frozen butter onto the dough, leaving a 1-inch unbuttered margin around the sides. Flour your hands and gently press the butter into the dough.
Fold in thirds, like a letter (Fold #1). Square up the dough by pressing or pulling the sides, then transfer to a sheet pan, wrap it in plastic and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Remove from the fridge and roll it back out into a rectangle roughly the same size as the first one. Grate another stick of frozen butter leaving a 1-inch unbuttered margin around the sides. Flour your hands and gently press the butter into the dough.
Make another letter fold (Fold #2), then roll it back out into a rectangle again. Make another letter fold (Fold #3), then roll it back out into a rectangle again. Make a final letter fold (Fold #4).
Transfer to your sheet pan, wrap it in plastic again and chill it in the fridge for 1 hour.
Sprinkle seasoned sugar generously on your work surface. Remove dough from the fridge and place onto seasoned sugar. Top with more seasoned sugar and roll out into a rectangle about ⅛-¼ inch thick, applying more seasoned sugar generously as you go. Work quickly, as the seasoned sugar will start drawing moisture out of the dough.

Trim edges with a pastry cutter or pizza cutter wheel. Then, make five vertical cuts and one horizontal cut at the center of the rectangle to create 12 long ribbons of dough.
Roll each ribbon up like a cinnamon bun. Dip the ends into the sugar mixture before placing into the prepared pan. Sprinkle more seasoned sugar onto each one.
Let kouign amann sit for 10 minutes while preheating the oven to 375°F.

After the final proof, bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove kouign amann from the hot pan immediately. The caramel that the seasoned sugar created will harden if you leave them too long in the pan. Cool for 15 minutes and then enjoy. These are best enjoyed fresh.