Ingredients
How to make it
- Put ¼ c bread flour in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring in ½ c water a little at a time to prevent lumping. Heat for about 5 to 6 minutes while whisking until the roux thickens and you can whisk a clean spot on the bottom of the sauce pan. Remove from heat and let cool to minimally 110 degrees so as not to kill the yeast or to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap in intimate contact so as not to form a skin.
- This water roux you have just made is the secret ingredient for making a soft bun.
- Combine and mix dry ingredients in a large bowl except yeast and kneading flour, saving a pinch of sugar for activating the yeast.
- Cube butter and add to dry ingredient mix.
- Wait 20 minutes for butter to soften.
- Activate yeast in ¾ c warm water with the saved pinch of sugar for about 5 minutes.
- Add proofed yeast, eggs, and water roux to dry ingredients and mix until nearly all or all of the flour mix is incorporated.
- Rest 20 minutes for the flour mix to hydrolize.
- Pour out onto a lightly floured work surface, using some of the flour for kneading.
- Knead for 8 minutes while incorporating flour in small amounts as needed to keep the dough tacky but not sticky.
- Grease a bowl, place kneaded dough in, turning to coat. Cover with coated plastic wrap until doubled.
- Gently deflate dough. Shape it into a log and cut into 12 equal pieces. Cover and rest for 10 minutes for the dough to relax.
- Shape dough into balls or logs for hamburger or hotdog buns.
- Place on a 10×17, or equivalent, parchment lined baking sheet, spaced evenly.
- Flatten the dough balls for the hamburger buns a little. Don’t flatten the hotdog bun logs, they are good rounded up. Cover with coated plastic wrap until doubled.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F during the last few minutes of rise time.
- Brush buns with milk. Bake for about 20 minutes until lightly browned.
- Remove to a wire rack to complete cooling.
- Brush while buns are still hot with melted butter for a softer finish.
