SUPER BOWL!!!!! What a great opportunity to experiment with some new breads! I really wanted to do mini-meatball sliders, but making great homemade buns (I mean REALLY GREAT, SOFT homemade buns!!!) had, to this point, eluded me. Don't get me wrong....I've found some decent bun recipes, but what does one do when the hubby wants those super-market soft rolls? Despite past "acceptable" attempts, I resolved to try one more recipe......and I found a goody! Love, love, love this recipe - I hope you will too......
3 tablespoons warm whole milk
1 Cup warm water
2 teaspoons Red Star Platinum yeast
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
(1 egg for egg wash; sesame/poppy seeds (optional))
Combine warm water, the milk, yeast and sugar in the EZ DOH bucket. Let stand until foamy, about five minutes. Meanwhile, beat one egg.
In a large bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs. Add to yeast mixture, along with beaten egg, and EZ DOH-it until a dough forms. Continue until smooth and elastic. The dough will be on the sticky side so it can be a bit messy, but keep in mind that the more flour you knead in, the tougher the buns will get. Try to leave the dough a bit tackier than normal. Shape dough into a ball and return it to the greased bucket. Cover bucket and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about an hour.
When dough is risen, divide dough into 24 equal pieces. For a nice shape, take each dough round and form into a ball. Arrange in a 9X13” greased pan. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
If topping with sesame seeds, brush each bun with egg wash and sprinkle them on. Bake in a preheated 375° for 20-25 minutes, or until browned. Remove from oven and let cool on rack. Split the cooled buns and fill as desired.
