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Versatile Soft Buns — burgers, breakfast, everything

Versatile Soft Buns — burgers, breakfast, everything

Video

Versatile Soft Buns — burgers, breakfast, everything

Story

Met a lot of buns; kept rewriting this one. I wanted a bun that behaves at service and spoils breakfast the next morning. After years of tweaks, this is the keeper—soft, tidy, and weirdly hard to stop eating.

Description

I chased this dough for years: something calm enough for breakfast, confident enough for smashed burgers, and soft without collapsing. Tangzhong gives the memory; butter gives the shine. They cool with that bakery smell that makes you eat one plain on the way to the table.

Steps

  1. Cook the tangzhong

  2. 1
    Whisk 50 g flour + 250 g water in a saucepan. Cook, stirring, to a thick paste (~65 °C). Cool to room temp.

  3. Mix

  4. 2
    In a mixer bowl: 950 g flour, 450 g water, yeast, sugar, salt, and the cooled tangzhong.
  5. 3
    Knead 7 minutes on medium until smooth.

  6. Rest, then add butter

  7. 4
    Rest 10 minutes. Knead again while adding the soft butter in pieces until fully absorbed and the dough is elastic and glossy (window-pane).

  8. First rise

  9. 5
    Cover and rise until ~1.5× (45–60 minutes).

  10. Divide & pre-shape

  11. 6
    For burgers: divide into 95–100 g pieces; for small rolls: 55–60 g. Round into tight balls. Rest 10 minutes.

  12. Shape & proof

  13. 7
    Shape (round for buns, logs for dogs). Place on trays, cover lightly, and proof 45–60 minutes until puffy; a finger dent should spring back slowly.

  14. Bake

  15. 8
    Bake at 180–190 °C (fan) for 14–18 minutes, rotating once, until deep golden.

  16. Finish

  17. 9
    Brush with melted butter while warm for a soft, shiny crust. Cool on racks.

Credits

Developed by me over years of tweaks.