I've Got Cute Buns!

As I have been reading through all of the Daring Baker's posts about Tender Potato Bread (I am 2/3 done!) I was tempted to make the same recipe again. I saw all of these great creations that people have made with their bread dough. The foccacias look incredible, there are braids which make me envious, and there are rolls that just looked cuter than mine. So what is a girl to do?

For me, the tender potato bread recipe was not an easy one. It required abilities of instinct which I am still developing. But I was craving to work with yeast again. So I turned to someone who knows a thing or two about bread. Breadchick at the blog, The Sour Dough. I have used yeast before, but never really have felt successful. Because of the November challenge with the Daring Bakers, I am becoming a bit more assertive with my yeast. But, sometimes too, I like to play it safe.

When I saw the words "No-Fail" written as part of the title for a bread, I thought this one is for me. The mixing, adding and resting all seemed simple enough. I kneaded it and left it to rise. Then I began to worry...what if I *do* fail on a recipe that says it's a "No-Fail?" Does that make me a failure? A real idiot?

She suggests making a loaf with the bread but I am in need of some glass loaf pans and the non-stick pans are sticking to the breads I make, thus nullifying the "non." I thought instead of a loaf, small rolls sounded scrumptious. I began to roll the dough into little balls and had a flashback of perfect little rolls I saw through the blogosphere last week. My dough balls were lumpy and bumpy. They would not rise to be perfect little rolls.

After I was nearly finished separating and rolling the rolls, I discovered a trick. Instead of rolling, I sort of flattened them out and then pinched the bottom side (that sounds a little fresh, doesn't it!). This stretched out the top side of the rolls perfectly and made me believe that something cute and perfect would result.

Another round of rising and then baking resulted in the cutest buns I have ever made. This recipe is a keeper and I plan to visit the Breadchick again...maybe today!


Breadchick’s No-Fail Egg Bread

2 teaspoons of yeast, divided
4 cups of bread flour (13% Gluten), divided
1 cup of water
3 teaspoons of melted butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/4 cup of dry milk

Step 1: Sponge
Mix 1 teaspoon of yeast, 1 cup of flour and the water in a 2 quart glass bowl or 2 quart plastic container. Stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap or lid and let it sit for 3 hours in 70 degree room. (This time will be longer in cool room or shorter in warmer room). Tip: If your oven has a light, turn the light on and put the sponge in the oven to rise.

Step2: Make the dough
Reserve 1/2 cup of remaining flour and set aside.

Add the melted butter to the sponge and combine completely. Stir the eggs, one at a time into the sponge. Add the remaining yeast, salt, sugar and dry milk and stir until yeast is mixed in completely. Add the remaining flour 1/2 a cup at a time (except for reserved flour) until the dough is firm but shaggy. Dough will feel very soft to tough. Sprinkle the reserved flour on a good clean surface and flour your hands to knead the dough; about 7 - 10 minutes or until you see the development of gluten. You may need to add more flour if the dough is too soft (clumps of dough sticking to your hands). Do this one spoonful at a time. Dough will be smooth and elastic feeling when it is ready. Put in oiled bowl or proofing container and let rise until double, about 2 hours.

Step 3: Form loaf
Punch dough down and press into rectangle about 12″ x 5″. Fold rectangle into 3rds and place seam side down in large greased glass loaf pan. Brush a little melted butter on top of loaf, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until top of loaf touches plastic wrap. Remove plastic wrap and let it rise until it is about 2″ above the rim of the loaf pan.

Step 4: Bake
In 350F preheated oven, bake bread for 30 - 35 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 190F. If crust begins to get too brown, cover with foil until last 5 minutes of baking. Remove from oven and pan when done and let cool completely before slicing

My Experience:
*I have never seen anything but flour and self rising flour here in Peru. I used the harina sin preparar instead of bread flour. I am not sure of the gluten content.
*Instead of pressing into a rectangle to form a loaf, I separated the dough into 18 small portions and placed them in a 13x9 glass baking dish, coated with cooking spray and brushed a bit of melted butter on the rolls. I covered it with plastic and allowed the rolls to double in size and then baked them until their internal temperature reached 190F.