I used a recipe for soft sandwich rolls from King Arthur Flour:
Buns
- 3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
Three things: 1) the amount of water you will end up using is dependent upon the humidity/your location/time of year (you start with the 3/4 cup and only add more if the dough is too dry); 2) This recipe uses INSTANT yeast and; 3) the butter is added to the dough after it is mostly formed--you knead the soft butter into the dough. I thought that was a little unusual but the results were magnificent! Of course I used a Kitchen Aid® stand mixer, so kneading in the butter was not an issue.
Add the beaten egg to the 3/4 cup of lukewarm water. Add about 1/3 of the flour to the mixing bowl of your mixer, add about 1/2 of the water/egg, so you get a slurry. Add the balance of the flour, the salt, the sugar and the yeast, using the dough hook. Slowly add the balance of the water/egg mixture. You want a soft dough, not sticky. If it is too dry go ahead and add more warm water, one tablespoon at a time, until you get a nice soft, not sticky dough. Knead on high for about 4 minutes. With the mixer still on high, add the soft butter in about 4 additions, kneading it in all the way before adding the next. Knead another 4 minutes after all the butter is incorporated. Shape into ball, and put in a well greased bowl, cover with oiled plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Put someplace warm and allow to rise until doubled in size (that took about 2 hours today). Punch down dough and turn out onto floured surface. Cut into 8 equal pieces, roll into a round and flatten slightly. Place on a greased sheet pan, with some room between each round. Cover with greased plastic wrap, light towel and let rise again another 45 minutes to one hour.
Don't these babies look great? Okay, Next you paint them with an egg wash--one egg beaten with one tablespoon water and sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds or an everything mix, if you can find one, or make one.
Bake in a 375° F oven for 12-15 minutes. You will not believe the aroma that permeates the house! It is divine!
The rolls come out slightly sweet, and soft. I have never made this type of bun/roll before, and have totally impressed myself! Even the hubby said, "I hope you kept this recipe."
Touchdown!
Hope you, too, can try to make these buns. How about sharing one of your recipes? This can be a 2-way street!
Thanks for looking!
