Butterscotch Buns

I love the idea of baking bread. And sometimes I'm spurred into having this idea translate into actual bread making. Like today. I was in the mood for some butterscotch and decided to make some buns with it.

The thing about baking bread is that whilst the aroma is heavenly, to actually get to that point, you must first have gone through some serious kneading. Which I usually approach with much gusto, only to start regretting having embarked on the bread making effort in about 2 minutes flat. I just don't get the whole kneading-is-therapeutic thing.

These buns are perfect for breakfast except that with the time you'll need for the dough to rise, and then rise again, they'll never be ready in time unless you start making them in the middle of the night.

As an alternative, it's possible to let the dough rise overnight in the fridge for the first rise. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the lowest section of the fridge. Take it out first thing the next morning and let it settle to room temperature. Work on the dough according to the recipe for the second rise.

This recipe was taken from the Food Network:

For the bread dough

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

2 tsp salt

1.5 cups tepid water

1 Tbsp yeast

1 oz honey

1 oz olive oil

1 oz dried milk powder

For the butterscotch topping

1 cup sugar (I used 3/4 cup instead)

1 stick of butter, in chunks (I used a little less than half a stick)

To make the buns:

Place the flour, oats and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center right through to the bottom of the bowl and pour the warm water inside. Add the yeast, honey, oil and milk powder and let the yeast bubble and froth. Using two fingers, gently stir in the flour in small circular motions right where the flour meets the water. As the dough forms, the stirring can go much quicker.

Knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a well-oiled bowl and turn the dough around to ensure it's fully coated in oil - this helps to prevent crust from forming as the dough is rising. Cover with a kitchen towel and place it some place warm. Let it rise for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.

Punch back the risen dough and roll it out. Slice into pieces (this makes about 9-12 pieces), place them in the butterscotch pan and set aside to rise again for about 30 minutes. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 190°C (375°F), remove from the oven and turn it out right away onto a serving dish.

To make the butterscotch topping:

It's probably a good idea to do this while waiting for the first rise so the butterscotch has time to cool completely in the pan.

Pour sugar into a pan and pour in an equal amount of water around the sugar. Turn the heat on but do not stir. When the sugar starts to brown, swirl the pan. When the mixture reaches a light golden color, throw in the butter, let it melt, and then remove from heat. Whisk until it's smooth and starts to thicken. Let it cool in the pan before placing the dough in for the second rise.

The sticky gooey butterscotch is insanely difficult to clean off, so here's what I do: fill the pan with water and put in back on the stove. The heat helps to turn the butterscotch all soft again and it'll be easy to clean. Stick any other items that have fallen victim to the butterscotch - knives, whisk, etc in the pan and it'll wash off easily too. 

Comments

[Kwan]

Fwah. You actually baked - very impressive indeed! It looks quite yummy!

[Kenggai]

And of course JD refused to eat them too.