#340_Homemade Hamburger Buns

Sandwich or Hamburger Buns in 60 minutes

I've owned a Kitchen Aid stand mixer for over 20 years now, but have never used it to make dough until today. I only use the stand mixer for whipping cream, making icing or frosting. I love using it to whip the meringue for Chiffon Cake, but never made dough using it because I'm hooked with my bread machine.
Today that has changed because the dough recipe for this bun was made using the stand mixer, and I wanted to follow exactly the recipe and procedure.
So I followed everything in the recipe except for the rising time because my house is kind of cold. We keep the temperature in our house at 64 degreesF, a comfortable temperature for me and hubby, but not for the buns.(no pun intended). This means that doughs rise a little longer in my kitchen.

The recipe is from a blog, Wives with Knives, click here for the link.

I don't have to say it because as you can see from the picture the buns came out perfect....the height, the size, the texture. They have a lot of substance. Perfect for any kind of sandwich. Although they might not be as perfectly shaped as the ones made by the blogger on Wives with Knife, hubby says they taste really good, a lot better than Sara Lee.
You see I made these for deli sandwiches for Sunday dinner, which is tomorrow, but he can't wait to taste them so he made himself a couple of PJ sandwiches. I'm glad he volunteered to taste test them for me because he is good at it. I trust his taste because he never fails. When he says something is really good, he means it. I only wish though that I can also get him to taste test the Filipino food that I make.
Anyways, if you want to try this recipe you can just go to the link and get the recipe there.

Enjoy the buns!

Update picture:

Here's the deli sandwich

#178_Basic Sweet Dough Recipe (Bread Machine)

Sweet Dough
in its first rising in the bread machine pan (bucket).

This is actually the recipe for the
Reduced Eggs Ensaymada, post #114, click here
but, I thought it would be a good idea to post a
dough recipe that can be used in making
different varieties of bread.
I also had made some adjustments in the ingredients
and changed the procedure a little to make it
simpler and easier to follow and
not too complicated for a beginner.

With this dough recipe, you can make several kinds of bread,
such as Pani Popo, Dinner Rolls, Ensaymada, Brioche,
Cinnamon Rolls, Monkey Bread, Braided loaf,
just to name a few.

Bread Machine Sweet Dough Recipe:
1-3/4 cups warm milk
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
6 cups bread flour
1 tbsp. instant yeast, (saf yeast)
1 tsp. dough enhancer (my secret ingredient)
1 tsp. vital wheat gluten(another secret ingredient)
1 tsp. salt
4 large eggs, slightly beaten


I like to place the slightly beaten eggs on one side on top of flour
and the yeast, dough enhancer, vital and salt on the other side
with a little levee in between them.
The reason for this is that my bread machine takes 10 minutes
to actually start after I push the start button,
and I'm afraid that the dry ingredients I mentioned
will clump up when soaked with the eggs...
that's just me thinking and being cautious.


Here's the procedure:

1) Put everything in the bread machine pan in the order listed above starting with the milk.
2) Set the bread machine on dough cycle and let it do the mixing and kneading.
3) Let the dough rise in the bread machine pan.
4) When doubled in bulk, lightly punch down the dough then take it out onto a floured surface and form into desired shapes and varieties.
5) Let the shaped doughs rise until doubled in size. (second rising)
6) Bake in a pre-heated 350 degrees oven for 18-20 minutes
Baking time depends on the variety of bread.

Here are examples of different varieties of breads
you can make with the
Basic Sweet Dough Recipe:

Swedish Tea Ring


Ensaymada....
just came out of the oven.
post #114, click here

Ensaymada
slathered with softened butter
and sprinkled with white sugar
post #114, click here

Swirled Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
a.k.a. Plain Ensaymada with frosting

Panipopo or Coconut Cream Buns
post #122, click here

Plain Ensaymada
post#114, click here

Monkey Bread
post #23, click here

Braided Loaves

Brioche

Swedish Tea Ring, Braided Loaf, and White Bread Loaf...
made from one recipe,
or you can make 4 different varieties, but smaller sizes.
You might also want to check out the Pumpkin Dinner Rolls recipe #192, click here.

************

Important bread-making tips from KAF bakers

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/100-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-recipe

• Don't bother heating the orange juice to lukewarm; you can use it straight out of the fridge. The orange juice won't add its own flavor to the bread, but will mellow any potential bitterness in the whole wheat.
• If you're kneading bread by hand, it's tempting to keep adding flour till the dough is no longer sticky. Resist the temptation! The more flour you add while you're kneading, the heavier and drier your final loaf will be.
• The amount of liquid you use to make the "perfect" dough will vary with the seasons. Flour is like a sponge; it absorbs water during the humid days of summer, and dries out during the winter. Your goal should be making the dough as it's described (e.g., cohesive, soft but not sticky), rather than sticking religiously to the amount of liquid.
• When making yeast bread, let the dough rise to the point the recipe says it should, e.g., "Let the dough rise till it's doubled in bulk." Rising times are only a guide; there are so many variables in yeast baking (how you kneaded the dough; what kind of yeast you used) that it's impossible to say that bread dough will ALWAYS double in bulk in a specific amount of time.

#122_Pani Popo or Coconut Cream Buns

Pani Popo....

not only rhymes with pan de coco
but also it is in the same ball park.

Pani Popo is a Polynesian bread baked in coconut cream,
or in other words, pani popo swims in coconut cream
while the Filipino pan de coco is filled with coconut candy or bocayo.

My sister Melinda learned how to make this bread
from her father-in-law in New Zealand,
then she showed me how to make it
when she came to visit me here 10 years ago.

It is really easy to make except for making the dough,
but the taste is, ohh, superb!
If you like pan de coco, you'll like pani popo.

Two months ago I made a whole pan
of this bread, click here, for a family from Tonga.
They love it so much that they went to a
Polynesian bakery, to get some more, obviously.
The father didn't like what they bought from the bakery!
Just recently, he begged his wife to call and ask me
if I would make some for their party.
Needless to say this bread is Polynesian-approved.

You can use any bread recipe that you may already have,
but here are my suggestions:
These are all bread machine recipes

Pan de Sal recipe #20, click here
Potato Dinner Rolls recipe #63, click here
Reduced Eggs Ensaymada recipe #114, click here
Basic Sweet Dough Recipe #178, click here

Procedure:

1) After the dough cycle is finished, let the dough rise either in the bread machine bucket or in a bowl, until doubled in size.
2) Punch down dough and divide it into 3 equal portions, then cut each portion into 12 pieces. Shape them into balls.

3) Arrange the shaped dough in 3 well-greased baking pans measuring 9x13.

4) Let rise (again) until the doughs have doubled in size.

5) Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the above picture, I used the reduced egg ensaymada dough recipe
in a bigger pan measuring 11 1/2" x 15 1/2" x 2"
with 24 pieces of dough balls.
Make sure the pan is at least 2 inches deep
so the cream will not splash out while it is baking.

The doughs might look like they
are swimming in coconut cream, but
don't be alarmed because as the bread bakes
the coconut cream thickens
and some of the cream will be absorbed by the bread.


The Cream Mixture

5) Mix 1 1/2 cans (3 cups) coconut cream and 3/4 cup sugar, stirring well until sugar is dissolved.

6) Pour this mixture into the 3 pans just before baking.
7) Bake for 20-25 minutes.

The thickened coconut cream in the
baking pan can be used for dipping the bread.


Enjoy!!!

UPDATES: 6-30-09

The perfect proportion for coconut cream and sugar is:
For 1 cup coconut cream, use 1/4 cup white sugar.
But you can use more or less according to your personal
preference.

I received a couple of e-mails inquiring about the coconut cream, if it is okay to use coconut milk. I took a picture of the coconut cream that I like to use personally. You can use any brand you like as long as it is coconut cream ( this is thicker).

I had used coconut milk in the past but the sauce was too thin.

Another update:
When I was in Texas visiting our family there, I can't find the ingredients to make the bread such as the vital wheat gluten and dough enhancer and the right kind of coconut cream. So, I settled with the frozen dough and coconut milk. The outcome wasn't as good as the kind I make using the dough recipes I listed above.

#114_Reduced Eggs Ensaymada

This is a Reduced-Eggs Ensaymada recipe

using only 4 whole eggs and takes 3 risings
(If this recipe is a little complicated for you, you can use the
Basic Sweet dough recipe #178, click here.)


For the Sponge:
1 cup whole milk
1 tbsp quick rising yeast or instant
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup bread flour

1) Warm the milk in a bowl in microwave.

2) Stir sugar in the milk and sprinkle yeast over the mixture. Use a whisk to dissolve the yeast.
3) Let this mixture sit for a few minutes until it becomes foamy about 10 to 15 minutes.
4) Mix in the flour and stir with a sturdy wooden spoon.
5) Cover with a plastic wrap and let it rise for about 20 minutes or until bubbly. This will be a sticky, wet dough but should not be runny.
This mixture is called sponge and will be mixed in with the dough.

The Dough
3/4 cup milk, very warm
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
the sponge
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large large eggs, slightly beaten (1 cup)
4 1/2 to 5 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dough enhancer (my secret ingredient)
1 tsp vital wheat gluten (another secret ingredient)

1) Put everything in the bread machine pan or bucket starting with the warm milk making sure the paddles are in place.

2) Use the dough cycle and let the machine do the stirring and kneading.
3) When the cycle is finished, take the dough out and place it in a well-greased bowl and cover with a plastic wrap to rise until doubled in bulk.
This is the SECOND RISING.

Option: Instead of transferring the dough into a bowl, you can leave the dough in the bread machine bucket or pan, put the lid down and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk.

The Traditional Coiled Ensaymada

How to coil the dough:

1) Lightly punch the dough down and take it out onto a floured surface.

2) Divide the dough into half then cut the half into 12 pieces.
3) Do the same thing with the other half of dough, cutting it into 12 pieces, so you have 24 pieces all together.
4) Roll dough into ropes about 8 inches long, fat on one end and tapered on the other end. Take the fat end with your forefinger and thumb and coil dough around tucking the tapered end under.

Braided Ensaymada

5) For braided ensaymada, divide dough into 48 pieces. Twist together 2 ropes. Hold the twisted dough with your forefinger and thumb, and coil the rest of dough around, tucking the tapered end under.

6) Place coiled dough in greased molds.

(Sorry, I did not get to take pictures while braiding the doughs. Burnt Lumpia, a blog, gives a very good illustrations on how to braid the doughs. Click here for the link).


This recipe makes 24 braided pieces using the ensaymada moulds with base measuring
2 1/4 inches in diameter.

If you're using ensaymada molds, grease each mold with shortening, then place the molds on a cookie sheet.

If using cookie sheets without the molds, line the sheets with parchment papers.

The 3rd Rising

This is an important process in order
to achieve a flavorful pillow-soft, but not airy rolls

The picture above is recycled from ensaymada recipe #113.

1) Place the molds with coiled doughs in cookie sheets.
2) Turn the oven on for just 1 minute or until the temperature reaches 8o degrees and then turn it off. (Make sure the temperature is not hotter than 80 degrees).
3) Place the cookie sheet with the ensaymadas below the middle rack, then shut the oven door. Let the dough rise until they are soft and springy to the touch, about 20-30 minutes.

4) Or boil some water in a pot and place this pot right on the oven floor.
5) With the oven door shut, let the dough rise for about 30 minutes or longer.
6) When dough has doubled in size, soft and spongy or springy to the touch, take the pan and pot out and turn the oven on to 350 degrees to pre-heat.
7) Bake the ensaymadas for 18-20 minutes.

You can leave them plain or slather them with butter

then sprinkle sugar and grated cheese on top.
They are good for meriendas or for breakfast.

Notes from MaMely
1) You can use this recipe for almost any kind or shape you want such as for dinner rolls, croissant rolls, Parker house rolls, etc.

2) If you want to let the dough rise overnight in the fridge, here's some tips:
a) use regular yeast, not instant as the dough might rise too fast if you use the instant kind.
b) after the dough cycle if finished, take the dough out and place it in a well greased bowl, turning it upside down to coat the other side of dough with grease or oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight,(about 8 hours). The next day take out dough and let it stand for about 1 hour then proceed to the rest of the procedure, i.e. punch dough down, shape, etc.

3) Store this kind of breads in plastic bread bags or in air tight containers to keep them soft for days. Microwave old rolls for 10-15 seconds to make them oven-fresh.
Do not store them in paper bags as they will get hard. French breads and baguettes kind of breads are stored in paper sacks to keep their nice crusts.

Important bread-making tips from KAF bakers

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/100-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-recipe

• Don't bother heating the orange juice to lukewarm; you can use it straight out of the fridge. The orange juice won't add its own flavor to the bread, but will mellow any potential bitterness in the whole wheat.
• If you're kneading bread by hand, it's tempting to keep adding flour till the dough is no longer sticky. Resist the temptation! The more flour you add while you're kneading, the heavier and drier your final loaf will be.
• The amount of liquid you use to make the "perfect" dough will vary with the seasons. Flour is like a sponge; it absorbs water during the humid days of summer, and dries out during the winter. Your goal should be making the dough as it's described (e.g., cohesive, soft but not sticky), rather than sticking religiously to the amount of liquid.
• When making yeast bread, let the dough rise to the point the recipe says it should, e.g., "Let the dough rise till it's doubled in bulk." Rising times are only a guide; there are so many variables in yeast baking (how you kneaded the dough; what kind of yeast you used) that it's impossible to say that bread dough will ALWAYS double in bulk in a specific amount of time.

#22_ Cinnamon Rolls

Heart-shaped Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Mmmmmm!! Cinnamon Rolls

You can make these rolls the same way as the Sticky Buns, entry #21, omitting the caramel sauce. After sprinkling cinnamon/brown sugar mixture on the dough, you can add some chopped walnuts and raisins, then roll out the dough jelly-roll fashion and cut into 1 1/2 inch to 2 inches thick and arrange on greased pans. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and bake them for 18 to 20 minutes.
Let cool and drizzle icing on top. Icing or Frosting recipes below:

Egg-less Butter Cream Frosting :
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 stick butter, very soft but not melted
2 Tbsp. warm milk or orange juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Stir together butter and powdered sugar. Add milk and vanilla.
Mix well and drizzle on top of rolls while they are still warm.
If frosting is too thick gradually add a little bit more liquid, (a little drop at a time) making sure the frosting is not too thin or it will be too runny to spread on the rolls.
(The original recipe for this calls for 1 egg, but because of salmonella and other bacteria issues caused by uncooked eggs, I omitted the egg and made some adjustment with the other ingredients).

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) very soft but not melted
4 cups powdered sugar
4 to 5 tbsp. warm milk or orange juice

Cream together butter and cream cheese.
Add in powdered sugar and milk (or OJ)
Mix well and drizzle on the rolls while they are still hot.

Tips fom MaMely:

Before spreading the raisins on the dough, plump them up in warm water or juice for about 10 minutes. Dry them in paper towels.

Here is another dough recipe you can use to make a good cinnamon roll: click here.

#21_ Sticky Buns with Pecans

Sticky Buns

A variant of cinnamon rolls

Finger Licking Sticky Bun

You can make different varieties of rolls using the pan de sal dough (recipe #20) with just a couple of changes.

For Sticky Buns: You need to increase the amount of flour as this requires 2 eggs. Eggs in the ingredients is considered a liquid.

Here's the recipe for the dough:

2 cups warm milk

1/2 stick butter, softened

1/4 cup white sugar

5 1/2 to 6 cups bread flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp saf instant yeast

1 tsp vital wheat gluten

1 tsp dough enhancer

2 eggs, slightly beaten

Follow procedure for making dough for pan de sal. After dough cycle is finished, take dough out and divide it in half.

On a floured surface, roll out one of the half portion of the dough into a rectangle and brush 1/2 cup softened butter( not melted or it will ooze out when cutting) on the dough.

Sprinkle a mixture of 1/4 cup brown sugar and 3 tbs ground cinnamon on top.

Roll out dough as for jelly roll or into a long log, tightly. Seal seams securely.

Do the same thing with the remaining half of the dough or make other kinds of rolls.

Combine 1/2 cup softened butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 2 tbs Karo syrup. this is the caramel..

Spread this mixture evenly into bottom of 5 round pans.

Using a dough cutter, cut logs about 1 1/2" to 2" thick and arrange the pieces on the prepared pans.

Let rise for about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Bake in a pre heated 350 degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes

Let the bread cool before inverting onto a plate.

Filling:

1/2 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsps ground cinnamon
CARAMEL:

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 tbps corn syrup

pecan halves, optional

NOTE:
Here's another good dough recipe that can be used to make Cinnamon Rolls, it is called
Sweet Dough. Click here for the recipe.

#20_ Pan de Sal ( Philippine Dinner Rolls)

Pannn-de-sssssaaaallll!!!

Growing up, these ubiquitous dinner rolls were a very popular breakfast item among Filipinos for their versatility and convenience. We used to fill them with scrambled eggs, sardines, mackerel omeletes, corned beef, you name it, the list can go on and on. I remember every bakery in the city was opened as early as 4:00 in the morning and if you came in a little past 7:00 a.m. you were lucky if there was some left for you.
Pan De Sal was one of the first Filipino food that I missed when I left home. I'm so lucky that a family friend, Bayani Parayno, who had a bakery back in his hometown, showed me how to form the pandesal using dough made in the bread machine.

About 22 years ago my husband gave me a bread maker for Mother's Day and it probably idled for a couple of years after I used it once, because the loaf of bread I made didn't turn out very well. I said, "The heck! I can't make bread..it's cheaper to buy it". Not long after that, I gave it another try, studied the manual instructions, and experimented with different recipes. After that I was hooked and spoiled too, because I can't make breads without this machine.

This recipe is from my sister, Melita, which was given to her by a friend, but I had made some alterations to suit my bread machine. The beauty of this recipe is that it only requires one rising, and no need of proofing the yeast which means you don't need to activate the yeast in warm water first before mixing it with the other ingredients.

(I'm going to update this Pan de Sal dough recipe and share with you some changes I had made. Due to the higher cost of Bread Flour nowadays, I had switched to All Purpose Flour in practically all of my bread recipes, and increased the amount of Vital Wheat Gluten....gotta have the Vital Wheat Gluten if using all purpose flour. I also made adjustments on some other ingredients for a better yield. This new recipe yields 32 pieces or more depending on how you roll and cut the dough. The old recipe only yield 24. The changes I made here are indicated by red asterisk).

Ingredients:

2-1/4* cups milk, warm (or 1-1/4 cup milk + 1 cup water)

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 stick butter, very soft

6 cups* all purpose flour* (plus 1/4 cup if needed)

2-1/4* tsp Saf instant yeast

1 tsp dough enhancer, my secret ingredient, now revealed

1 Tbp* vital wheat gluten, another secret ingredient

1 tsp salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

Baking Procedure:

1. Put all the ingredients in the bread machine pan in order given above starting with the warm milk.

2. Select "Basic Dough" or "Quick Dough" setting and let the machine do the mixing and kneading. Mine takes 30 minutes to do the cycle. Its a good idea to experiment with your bread makers first.

3. Take the dough out of the pan and divide it in half for easy handling, or use the other half for other kinds of bread like cinnamon rolls, or just plain dinner rolls. Cover it with greased plastic wrap.

4. On a floured surface, ( I prefer to use oil) roll out half of the dough into rectangle

5. Starting on the side closest to you, roll up the dough like you would jelly roll only tighter and longer like a stick. Make sure to seal the seams securely by pinching them using your thumb and forefinger. Do the same with the other half

6. Using a dough cutter, or a knife, slice the rolled-up dough into 1-1/2 to 2-inch thickness

7. Toss these slices of dough onto some bread crumbs, coating each cut side with the crumbs and gently form them into somewhat oval shapes

8. Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let rise for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until they are doubled in size,(that's all the rising they need). Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 18 to 23 minutes depending on your oven.

This is an authentic old fashion kind of Pan de Sal, soft but not fluffy. If you grew up in the 50's and 60's you know what I mean. You want your Pan de Sal to be hefty enough or strong enough to hold up to the fillings we Filipinos put in our rolls (palaman sa tinapay).

Now you can enjoy warm Pan de Sal anytime even if you're away from the Philippines.

Gramma enjoys her pandesal with hot cocoa while Grampa Gregg likes his with peanut butter and raspberry jam

grandson Conner

and grandaughter, Aurionna enjoy their rolls with just plain butter.

Notes from MaMely:

1. I also use this recipe for just plain dinner rolls. After the dough cycle is finished take the dough out and form into rolls about (more or less) 2 1/2 inches diameter. Arrange rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the temperature in your home. Bake same way as pandesal.

2. Another name for dough enhancer is dough conditioner. If you don't have dough enhancer, you can crush a vitamin C tablet, (500 mg or 1,000 mg). This will act as dough conditioner. I learned this from a book entitled " BREAD BAKING MADE EASY" by Dora Flack (1984). She also said that dough conditioner works as a yeast enhancer, helping it (the yeast) to achieve its maximum potential. It also strengthens the gluten and produces a lighter, more elastic bread.

3. Wheat Gluten, according to her, wheat gluten traps the gases given off by the yeast enabling the dough to rise higher. It gives better texture and helps retain moisture in breads and dough. It also prevent crumbling.

3. Put the egg on one side of the pan and the yeast on one side so they won't be touching each other. You don't want the egg in the warm water either as you might end up with a poached egg. This is just a precaution.

Important bread-making tips from KAF bakers

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/100-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-recipe

• Don't bother heating the orange juice to lukewarm; you can use it straight out of the fridge. The orange juice won't add its own flavor to the bread, but will mellow any potential bitterness in the whole wheat.
• If you're kneading bread by hand, it's tempting to keep adding flour till the dough is no longer sticky. Resist the temptation! The more flour you add while you're kneading, the heavier and drier your final loaf will be.
• The amount of liquid you use to make the "perfect" dough will vary with the seasons. Flour is like a sponge; it absorbs water during the humid days of summer, and dries out during the winter. Your goal should be making the dough as it's described (e.g., cohesive, soft but not sticky), rather than sticking religiously to the amount of liquid.
• When making yeast bread, let the dough rise to the point the recipe says it should, e.g., "Let the dough rise till it's doubled in bulk." Rising times are only a guide; there are so many variables in yeast baking (how you kneaded the dough; what kind of yeast you used) that it's impossible to say that bread dough will ALWAYS double in bulk in a specific amount of time.

UPDATE ....

4-14-09

Click here to link to Malisa's blog where Malisa, the author, made this recipe with some few adjustments. Other than the few changes she made, she is happy with the result. (Read her nice comment in this post too).