My 97th experiment: Sweet wheat buns

This is a good thing to make for dinner. Hubby always enjoys a freshly baked bun at his table.

Recipe: Sweet wheat buns (10 buns)
- 1+1/2 cup KAF whole wheat flour
- 1+1/2 cup KAF bread flour
- 1 TB active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm skim milk
- 1 tp salt
- 3 TB sugar
- 1 egg, save 1 tp egg white for egg wash
- 2 TB melted butter
- sesame seeds

Procedure:
1. Proof yeast in 1/2 cup milk for 10 minutes.
2. Sieve together whole wheat flour, bread flour, salt and sugar.
3. Mix together the dry ingredients with proofed yeast, milk, egg and butter and knead to form a soft dough.
4. Let rest in warmth for about 1/2 hour.
5. Roll into balls. Place in greased pan.
6. Mix 1 tp egg white with 1 tp water. Brush dough balls with egg wash. Then sprinkle sesame on top. Cover pan and proof on warm stove top until dough balls double in volume.
7. Bake in preheated oven at 375F for 12 to 15 minutes.

Results:
5:02pm, dry ingredients sieved, yeast proofing:

5:16pm, dough formed before buttering:

5:20pm, buttered dough:

5:24pm, dough flattened on bowl to rise:

5:44pm, dough rising on moist heat:

5:45pm, dough puffy after 20 minutes of rise:

5:46pm, dough rolling out:

5:47pm, dough being cut:

5:53pm, dough rolled into balls:

6:02pm, dough with egg wash and sesame:

6:44pm, dough risen 40 minutes:

7:01pm, buns baked 15 minutes at 375F:

7:02pm, bottoms of the buns:

7:04pm, buns torn apart:

7:06pm, buns to serve:

7:06pm, dinner:

Observations:
1. This bun is a little on the sweet side. The whole wheat flour gives it a little tough bite. Otherwise, it's all together attractive.

My 95th experiment: Soft buns with wet dough

I am trying out delayed fermentation with soft buns.

Recipe: Soft buns with wet dough (8 buns)

Ingredients:
Preferment
- 2 cups KAF whole wheat flour
- 2 tp active dry yeast
- 1 cup skim milk
Final dough
- 1 TB cocoa
- 3 TB sugar
- 3/4 tp salt
- 1/4 cup KAF bread flour

Procedure:

Day 1:
Mix 2 cup of flour with all the dry yeast. Add milk and stir until a uniform dough is formed. Chill overnight.

Day 2:
1. Take dough out of fridge.
2. Add cocoa, sugar and salt. Mix and knead well.
3. Add flour by sprinkling on top of dough. Then knead gently to work the flour into the dough.
4. When the dough is soft and not too sticky to hand any more, roll out on table and cut into small pieces.
5. Freeze those reserved.
6. To prepare for same-day baking, Let dough rise for 1 hour or so. Then brush top with a little water and bake at 350F, about 15 minutes.

Results:
Day 1, 2:28pm, to mix 2 cups of whole wheat flour with 2 tp yeast, then add 1 cup milk:

Day 1, 2:43pm, thickness and hydration of initial dough:

Day 1, 4:36pm, overnight fermentation:

Day 1, 4:42pm, to add 1 TB cocoa, 3 TB sugar and 3/4 tp salt:

Day 1, 4:52pm dough kneaded, still moist; to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup bread flour:

Day 1, 4:56pm, final dough after adding 1/4 cup flour:

Day 1, 4:59pm, very soft, smooth and moist dough rolled out:

Day 1, 5:01pm, dough cut into pieces, very soft, but amazingly not sticky to knife:

Day 1, 5:05pm, 2 pieces of dough to bake on the same day:

Day 1, 5:34pm, dough risen 30 minutes:

Observations:
1. The dough is very very wet. Therefore, this limit the amount that the dough can rise.
2. After overnight fermentation, the whole wheat dough achieves a very nice texture and cohesiveness. It gives clean cuts.
3. The resultant buns are quite good.

My 93rd experiment: dark and soft buns

The KAF whole grain cookbook has a recipe called the dark and soft restaurant dinner rolls, which have looked really tempting to me for a while. Today we have guests over. What better occasion than this to make it! Good things are meant to be shared.

Recipe: Dark and soft buns (Make one 9" pan of small buns, and 2 more large buns)

Ingredients:
- 1+3/4 cup KAF whole wheat flour
- 1 cup KAF bread flour
- 2 tp active dry yeast
- 3/4 tp salt
- 1+1/2 TB white sugar
- 1+1/2 TB Dutch-process cocoa
- 3 TB honey
- 2 TB unsalted butter, chopped
- 1 cup very warm water
- 1 tp oil for greasing pan

Procedure:
1. Proof yeast in 1/2 cup very warm water for about 15 minutes.
2. Sieve together whole wheat flour, bread flour, salt, sugar, cocoa.
3. Add proofed yeast with water to the dry ingredients. Mix.
4. Dissolve sugar and melt butter in the remaining 1/2 cup of very warm water. Add to the flour mixture.
5. Knead for 10 minutes. Allow to rest on warm stove top for 30 minutes.
6. Punch dough down. Shape into log. Then cut into small pieces. Roll each into ball of about 1.5" to 2" diameter. Freeze any reserved portion for future use.
7. Grease a 9" pan with 1 tp oil. Place balls on pan. Cover and let sit on warm stove top until volume doubles.
8. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
9. Brunch top of buns with a little butter. Loosen from pan. Serve right away.

Results:
4:40pm, mixing all dry ingredients:

5:16pm, final dough after adding yeast, warm water, honey and butter:

5:38pm, dough allowed to prove for 20 minutes:

5:41pm, dough sliced up:

5:49pm, dough shaped into small balls for same day baking:

5:49pm, dough reserved for future use:

6:12pm, dough covered with plate and place on warm counter top, warmed 23 minutes:

6:21pm, dough warmed 30 minutes and just before baking:

6:43pm, pan baked 22 minutes at 350F:

6:47pm, top brushed with butter:

6:47pm, bottom of a bun:

6:50pm, to serve:

Observations:
1. Spectacular!! These buns are very tasty.
2. To prevent the dough balls from drying or overheating, do not leave them on stove top for too long because the metal pan transmits heat quickly.
3. Cover the buns with dry and clean cloth to keep warm on dinner table.
4. The flavor of cocoa is noticeable in these buns. The amount of cocoa may be reduced to 1 TB if only for its color, and not its flavor.

My 92th experiment: wheat bun dough

I make some wheat bun dough for dinner. This dough has versatility.

Recipe: Wheat bun dough (make 4-6 balls)

- 1/4 cup KAF unbleached bread flour

- 1 cup KAF whole wheat flour

- 2 tp active dry yeast

- 1 large egg

- 1 TB melted butter

- 3/4 tp salt

- water roux made from 1/4 cup bread flour mixed with 1/2 cup water

Toppings:

- egg wash made with 1 tp egg white

- sesame seeds

Procedure:

1. Mix bread flour with hot water on heat, until the mixture becomes a thick paste.

2. Let the paste cool. Add yeast, egg, butter, salt, and the remaining flours.

3. Knead to form a dough. Then let proof once.

4. Punch down and partition into balls. Chill/Freeze if desired.

5. If to be used at once, then brush with egg white, sprinkle toppings, and proof again. 

6. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes.

Results:

8:47am, water roux of 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup water:

9:22am, dough:

9:44am, dough risen 20 minutes:

11:16am, dough risen 2 hours:

11:19am, dough punched:

1:35pm, two pieces of dough proofed 2 hours on counter top:

4:18pm, same dough chilled 2.5 hours:

4:20pm, dough punched and kneaded:

7:22pm, dough proofed 3 hours on counter top:

7:22pm, dough baking at 350F:

7:36pm, buns baked 15 minutes:

7:37pm, buns' top and side:

Day 2, with another piece of dough:
6:20pm, bread dough with beef and tomato sauce topping:

6:43pm, baked 20 minutes, then topped with mozzarella:

7:46pm, baked over 30 minutes, then kept warm:

7:46pm, bottom:

Observations:
1. My first two buns have a strong alcohol taste when just baked. Apparently that's because they've proofed for too long.
2. The bread with the beef-topping does not have any of the alcohol smell. So it's obvious that the first two buns are over-proofed.