Homemade Dinner Buns and Flavour of Home

This post is sponsored by Knorr Canada. I received compensation in exchange for this post, though as always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own, and I only work with brands I use in my own kitchen. 

Do you ever get nostalgic when a certain food scent hits your nose?  If you do, you're not alone.

"According to recent studies,  80% of Canadians are reminded of their childhood simply from the aroma of certain foods."* 

For me, the smell of freshly baked buns always brings me back to much simpler times, when the only concerns I had were whether or not I would be able to sneak an extra cookie or two out of my Grandma's homemade cookie jar.  

Me as a child, snacking on something delicious in Grandma's kitchen.

When I was a little girl, I used to spend a lot of time in the kitchen with my Grandmother.  Every Saturday my Mom had to work, so she would drop my brother and I off at her Mom's house and Grandma would teach me how to create something delicious. 

My beautiful Grandma at Solomon Hill, a landmark in my hometown. 

My favourite memories were of baking homemade buns from scratch - I'd drag the small wooden stool that Grandma kept underneath her piano up to the side of the counter so that I could soak in every ounce of knowledge she had to offer.  We'd get our hands messy with flour and share giggles and memories between just the two of us.  Eventually every single nook and cranny in her house would fill up with the smell of fresh baked buns.  My older brother would run into the kitchen and we'd fight over who got to sample the first delicious taste of a warm homemade bun, always with a golden yellow drizzle of the real butter she kept beneath the counter for special occasions.

"Knorr believes in bringing flavour to people's lives."  

The brand's new film 'Flavour of Home', captures this sentiment while celebrating the greatest flavour on earth, the taste of home. Be sure to grab a tissue, this video will really tug on your heartstrings!
   

When I saw this video that Knorr created to explore the power of flavour, I was instantly reminded of cooking with both my Grandmothers.  Not surprisingly, they found that 71% of Canadians, favourite memories from childhood involve meals with family or friends.*

What foods bring back the most childhood memories for you? 

Ingredients

- 1 tbsp yeast

- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup milk

- 1 medium egg

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- pinch of sea salt

- 3 cups all purpose flour

- 1 tbsp butter, melted

Directions

In a large bowl (or the bowl for your stand mixer) combine yeast, sugar, and water and let sit until yeast has dissolved (about 5 minutes).  

Meanwhile, combine milk, egg, oil, and salt and whisk until well blended.  

Add liquid to yeast mixture, being sure to combine well.  

Add flour, 1 cup at a time until dough is shaggy. 

Kneed dough for 8-10 minutes (on low speed with the dough hook if you're using your mixer).  You'll know it's ready when it's smooth and springs back to the touch. 

Let the dough rise in a warm spot (I like to use the "proof" setting on my oven), until doubled in size, or about an hour. 

Once risen, punch the dough down and shape into 12 equal size balls. 

Place on a greased baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover loosely with a clean dishtowel.  Let dough rise for another 30-40 minutes. 

Bake in preheated, 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until buns are a deep golden brown. 

Brush with melted butter immediately (this will give the buns a nice, soft crust).

Enjoy! 

*On behalf of Knorr, Edelman Berland (an independent market research company) conducted online interviews with 7,144 adults aged 18 or older from 7 countries (Argentina, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, Philippines, and South Africa). Fieldwork was conducted March 5-10, 2015 amongst a nationally representative sample of adults in each country. The margin of error for the total sample of adults (n=7,144) is ±1.16% at the 95% level of confidence.