I promise I am not starting a food blog. I assure you the Western world has plenty of food blogs. The Eastern world probably does, too, but I'm too lazy to find and translate them.
Need Nice Buns, Cheap
The story of the rolls** Is that we were in Whole Foods getting lamb burger supplies. At seeing $5 for four ciabatta buns, we declared "F*** that" because we already make bread and pizza dough, so why pay for hamburger buns. A recipe search ensued (for about 10 seconds) and I made buns.Recipe Improvements
Like my friend's Great Aunt Lily, I find that cooking shows don't show enough about how to prep and clean. If you want people to cook (they want people to buy the prepackaged meals on the commercials), you have to make the cleaning process easy. "Cooking"--i.e. the application of heat to food--usually doesn't take much time unless you have to stir a sauce or gravy. Most things either get a quick jab with a spoon every now and again. It's cleaning, chopping, figuring out what to use because you don't have a Chinoise sleeve and all the other bits that take up the time.
The Recipe
Read through the whole recipe first. These make nice small buns. If you want bigger, lighter buns, you can let them rise or do a double-rise, but this method gets you small rolls with a lot of texture.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons active dry yeast1 cup warm water (and you may need more if the dough gets dry)
1/4 cup light brown sugar (I use less if I want rolls to be less sweet)
1/3 cup olive oil (cheap oil is fine, original recipe calls for vegetable oil)
1 egg
3 cups unbleached white flour, plus ~1/2 cup to add to dough, if needed and for flouring counter. (If you use whole wheat flour, use just under 3 cups and sift it)
olive oil to spread on rolls (or butter, if you prefer)
* original recipe calls for a pinch of salt, which I do not use in order to encourage more rising.
Equipment KitchenAid or similar mixer, dough hook attachment and bowl *If you don't have a mixer, you can make the recipe and hand-knead, as described in the original recipe (link at the end of this one)*
spatula
liquid measuring cup
dry measuring cups and spoons
cookie sheet and silicone mat (or grease the sheet)
cooling rack ( or plater or whatever if you don't have a cooling rack.)
basting brush or olive oil sprayer
clean cloth or something to cover them with like a clean, large paper bag
Directions
0. Clean yourself some counter space and get your ingredients and supplies out and ready.1.Place yeast in mixer bowl
2. Add warm water and stir
3. add light brown sugar and stir.
4. loosely cover and let stand for 5 minutes. set a timer. Ideally, set the bowl in a warm area (example--I put mine next to the stove if I have something bubbling or on top if the oven is on).
5. measure out your oil and make sure you have your cookie sheet, etc ready.(The point here is to use this five minutes constructively, especially if you are pressed for time).
6. when your 5 min timer goes off, preheat oven to 420. (not a euphemism. also, you may find your oven heats faster or more slowly, but the point is to remember to preheat your oven so that's ready)
7. Uncover your yeast/sugar/water mixture. Add the oil into the mixer bowl.
8. Add the egg to the mixer bowl.
9. Put the flour in the mixing bowl.
10. Put the bowl on the mixer stand-with-dough hook. Use speed 1/2 for about 5-7 minutes. Shut off the mixer and move to the next step.
* Set a timer! You do not want the dough to get overworked.* I like it slightly on the sticky side (especially for wheat). A decent test is that if you stop the mixer and raise the dough hook, most of the dough should be in a ball and slide off with it's own weight. Stickier dough is messier to work with, but I err on the side of moist and add flour while hand-finishing the kneading, if needed.
11. Sprinkle ~1 tablespoon of flour on a clean counter space and set the cookie sheet nearby. Make sure the cookie sheet has whatever coating (silicone mat, olive oil, butter, paper) you're using to keep the rolls from sticking (nonstick cookie sheet itself it fine).
12.Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl and get the dough into the middle of the bowl, then dump the dough onto the floured counter. Use the spatula to get the bits out. (Put the bowl in the sink and the hook in the bowl and fill with water to start your cleaning early).
13. Knead the dough a bit by hand (20 secs or so) to get it into a symmetrical lump. Symmetry makes it easier to divide evenly into twelve pieces. The dough should be elastic. Lots of info and videos online about what that means, but a smooth, pleasant dough that sticks a little to unfloured fingers but not to floured fingers.
14. Cut by halves and thirds to get twelve evenly-sized blobs of dough. Try not to squish the main parts of the dough, as at this point it's proofing (rising) a bit.
15. GENTLY shape dough blobs into rolls by pinching the squarish bits under the dough, then cupping the blobs in your hand and rounding. Shake more rather than squishing. Imagine it's a flower you're rolling around. Or something. Place it on the cookie sheet. Note--I have also made hot dog buns-- just change the shape and size.
Optional: If you are using wheat or for any reason feel like your dough is dry, you can brush/spritz with olive oil or butter.
16. If the oven is ready, put the rolls in. Set the timer for 8 minutes. Make sure you have your cooling rack, olive oil (or melted butter) and clean cloth/bag ready.
17. When the timer goes off, you should evaluate how you want them. Best to look through the oven window, if you have one and your light works, etc. Peek rather than opening the oven and taking them out.
*If you're going to reheat them to be served more than an hour or so, you may want to leave them partially baked (par-baked). They end up yeastier and more dense ( which most people like).
* If you're using them right away, I like them juuuust golden brown. Bake them in 60-second intervals until they are done. Err on the side of Under-baking. *They should not have totally brown domes.* If yr oven heats unevenly, you may need to rotate the cookie sheet mid-bake.
18. Remove from oven. Brush/spritz with olive oil (or butter). *If you think they may have overbaked, switch steps 18 and 19.*
19. IMPORTANT: Get them out of the oven, off the cookie sheet and on to your cooling surface.
20. Cover with a clean cloth or clean brown paper bag. Make sure your cooling rack isn't sitting on top of the stove (because your oven is probably warm). *If you want a more crisp outer surface, don't cover them.
Travel: Put a layer of wax or other paper in the bottom of a paper bag. Layer rolls and paper. Tear/snip a couple vent holes in the sides of the bag.
Storage: Air-tight container.
Original recipe at: http://www.food.com/recipe/40-minute-hamburger-buns-183081
** If Food Network teaches us nothing else, it's that one must have an emotional tie to one's recipe. In this case, my emotion is "I'm not paying $5 for four hamburger buns."
