Meat Buns

FF ,  his dad, along with his brother and an uncle went on a  4- day- trip . This Gentlemen  Tour became a yearly tradition and yes, the wives are not invited. They left Friday afternoon and came back Monday night, somehow taking 4 days of sunshine with them. Looking at the pictures FF sent  me, it seems like they are having a daily dose of Vit. D , thanks to Portugal's warmer temperature this time of the year. On the other hand,  my corner here in Germany was bleak, rainy and yup, pretty depressing. I literally haven't seen the sun shining this weekend!
So while FF and the boys are having a blast in another country, watch football live, drink enough alcohol to blow their livers to the size of Texas, I was stuck alone at home, with nothing but mountainous laundry to wash and iron and a dirty house to keep me company.

Fortunately, my house is not palatial and in a matter of hours of cleaning and tidying up, it was looking rather speck and shiny.





To keep my mind off boredom and myself from talking to the mirror, I decided to be busy in the kitchen . I haven't baked bread in years so why not do it now? I did remember that my Baked Siopao  recipe was quite popular post in this blog, so I went off and do it again.

 This time,I am  using a completely different recipe. Don't get me wrong, I was happy with that recipe, the buns,  when taken out fresh from the oven was smooth a baby's bottom. I did remember though, that once cold, it turns as wrinkly as a granny's armpits. Not pretty. Nope. not at all.

Then a colleague from work recommended this bun recipe. After a bit of modification, it turned out- perfect! Unlike my first siopao recipe which was flat, the buns are plump looking , just as smooth, has a nice almost crunchy bite to it yet fluffy in the middle. 

I gave a bunch to my neighbours since I can't possibly eat them all. Baked it late afternoon and save 2 for dinner. The buns did not become soggy at all. It stays as tight as Demi Moore's forehead. This recipe is a keeper.

The Perfect Buns

600 g All purpose Flour ( Mehl 550 in Germany)

8 g salt

200 ml warm water

4 tbsp. milk

35 g sugar

1 cube fresh yeast

80 g softened butter

1 egg

Egg wash:

1 egg

2 tbsp. water

3 tbsp. milk
2 tbsp. sesame seed

In a mixing bowl/kitchen machine , mix together warm water, milk, sugar and yeast . Cover and let it rest for 5 minutes until frothy .

Mix salt and flour together. Add into the yeast mixture. Add butter and egg.

 With dough hook attached, let the machine do the muscle work for you. Knead at max. speed for 5 minutes until dough comes together.

 Knead for 3 more minutes until roll into a ball.

Butter the mixing bowl and put dough in it. Cover with clean towel and let it rest in a warm place for an hour or more.

 Once double in size, punch dough down and knead for 5 more minutes.

  It should be smooth and elastic. Divide dough into two.

  Roll into a log and cut into portions.

Since I got all the time in there world, I channel my inner OC  and weigh each dough. I like my bun small, so 60 g is sufficient. If you want your buns bigger, use more dough for each bun. A hamburger size should be around 90 g.

  Roll each dough into a tight ball.

Flatten each dough into a disk.

 Add your favourite filling. This  Asado Filling is so good . I used pulled pork this time.

 Pinch seams together to seal the bun.

Let each bun rest for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven ( 200°c) for 15 minutes. Brush buns with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake for 16-20 minutes or until buns turn golden brown .