Bread Maker Buns

Here is the recipe that appeared in Thursday's edition of The Hinton Voice. 

[I have a secret to share with you all – I use a bread maker to make the dough for all of my bread baking needs.  The convenience of using a bread maker just can’t be beat.  All you have to do is throw all of the ingredients inside and walk away until the dough is ready – it doesn’t get much easier than that!   

 I’ve only ever used the bread maker for it’s full-intended purposes once, and the “bread” that resulted came out closely resembling a cinderblock.  Trying to carve the paddle attachment out of the bottom of the loaf without wrecking the loaf really is about as much fun as it sounds. From that loaf on, I decided to stick to using the dough setting only.  My Gramma makes her bread this way and her bread is by far the most delicious I have ever had (okay so I might be a little bias but it really is great stuff).

I use my Gramma’s recipe as a base for all of my breads, and this is my go-to recipe for all things bun related.  I’ve used this recipe as a base for hamburger buns, cheese buns, cinnamon buns, and dinner rolls – it hasn’t disappointed yet!

These buns are so easy to make and turn out perfect every time.  So go ahead newbie bakers  - impress all of your friends and bring homemade buns to the next BBQ.   How much time you spent making them will be our little secret.]

Ingredients

For bread maker:

-        1 egg

-        1 cup lukewarm water

-        2 tbsp butter

-        3 ¼ cup flour*

-        4 tbsp sugar

-        3 tsp bread maker (or quick rise) yeast

-        ¼ tsp salt

*I’ve experimented with all sorts of flours and any flour will do – you get the lightest, fluffiest buns with bread flour, but all-purpose is a close second.

Additional ingredients:

-        2 tbsp butter

-        2 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)

  

Directions

Place ingredients in your bread maker in the order they appear.  Set your bread maker to the “dough only” setting.

Once dough is ready, punch it down lightly to remove the access air.   Split dough into a dozen balls placing them seam side down on a well-greased baking sheet.  Melt 1 tbsp butter and brush it onto each piece of dough.  Lightly drape dough with a clean dishtowel and place in a warm spot until buns have doubled in size (about 40 minutes).  I like to use the proof feature on my oven for this step.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes, or until buns are golden brown. Melt remaining tbsp of butter and brush the tops of the buns to soften.  If using sesame seeds, sprinkle them on as you butter each bun to ensure the sesame seeds stick. 

- Nutritional Info (1/12 recipe) -

Calories - 146   Fat - 3    Carbs – 27     Protein - 5   Fibre – 1

Enjoy!