Sugar Buns Recipes

TASTY BUNS

Steps:

• Stir together 2 cups flour and the yeast. In a separate bowl, heat milk, water, oil, sugar and salt to lukewarm in microwave. Add all at once to the flour mixture, and beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough, 2 to 3 cups. Mix well. Dust a flat surface with flour, turn dough out onto floured surface, and let rest under bowl for about 10 minutes.
• Shape dough into 12 slightly flat balls, and place on greased baking sheet to rise until doubled in size.
• Bake in a preheated 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

SUGAR BUNS

Steps:

• Generously grease one 12-cup muffin tin with softened butter. Set aside. In medium bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and salt, and mix until well blended. Set aside.
• Turn yeast dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll into an 18-by-10-inch rectangle. Brush dough with 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and liberally sprinkle with one-third of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
• Beginning with the long side facing you, tightly roll dough away from you into a log; pinch edge of dough to seal. Cut dough crosswise into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Place each cross-sectional piece into prepared muffin cup and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Place muffin tins in warm place until buns double in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Once dough has doubled in size, remove plastic wrap and place on middle rack in oven. Bake until golden and puffed, about 22 to 24 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool slightly on wire rack. In the meantime, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove buns from muffin tins. Brush liberally with melted butter and gently roll in remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve warm.

SUGARED PORK BUNS

Steps:

• For the roast pork: Combine the honey, hoisin, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, ginger, five-spice powder and garlic in a nonreactive baking dish large enough to hold the pork snugly. Whisk until smooth and season with pepper. Cut the pork against the grain into 1-inch-thick slices. Add to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 8 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a rack on top.
• Drain the meat from the marinade (reserving the marinade) and place on the rack. Roast until the top is lightly caramelized, about 25 minutes. Flip the pieces and roast until the second side is lightly caramelized, about 25 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, pour a few tablespoons of the marinade into a small bowl. Add the cornstarch and whisk until smooth with no lumps. Add 2 cups of the marinade to a small saucepan (discard the rest) and heat over medium. Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
• Let the pork cool, then chop into small pieces for the filling and put in a medium bowl. Add the thickened, cooled marinade and stir to coat.
• For the dough: Combine the yeast, 1/2 cup warm water (90 to 110 degrees F) and a pinch of sugar in a large spouted measuring cup. Let sit until foamy, about 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, granulated sugar and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whisk the milk, vegetable oil and egg into the yeast mixture. Add to the flour mixture and mix with the paddle to make a cohesive dough. Switch to the dough hook and knead, adding a little more flour or water if needed, to make a dough that cleans the sides of the bowl. Knead until the dough is very smooth and springy, 4 to 5 minutes. Knead the dough on a floured counter to bring the dough together. Oil a large bowl and turn the dough to coat in the oil. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Punch the dough down and divide into 2 pieces. Roll each piece to about a scant 1/4 inch thickness and use a 4-inch ring cutter to cut as many circles as possible. Reroll the dough to cut out 9 to 12 circles total. Fill the center of each with about 1 tablespoon of the filling. Pinch the dough to enclose the filling and make a ball. Put the balls pinched-side down on the baking sheets. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the topping: Combine the flour, confectioners' sugar, baking powder and salt in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and process until crumbly. Add the egg and egg white and process to make a very smooth paste. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium plain tip.
• Once the buns have risen, pipe a spiral of topping on each bun. Bake until the buns and topping are golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Serve warm.

OOEY-GOOEY CINNAMON BUNS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter and salt; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
• In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, milk mixture, eggs and 1 1/2 cup flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• While dough is rising, melt 3/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 3/4 cup brown sugar, whisking until smooth. Pour into greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle bottom of pan with 1/2 cup pecans; set aside. Melt remaining butter; set aside. Combine remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup pecans, and cinnamon; set aside.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, roll into an 18x14 inch rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter, leaving 1/2 inch border uncovered; sprinkle with brown sugar cinnamon mixture. Starting at long side, tightly roll up, pinching seam to seal. Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. With serrated knife, cut into 15 pieces; place cut side down, in prepared pan. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in volume. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool in pan for 3 minutes, then invert onto serving platter. Scrape remaining filling from the pan onto the rolls.

BUTTER SUGAR BUNS

Steps:

• For the tangzhong, in a sauce pan, combine the Bread Flour (35 gram) and Water (168 gram). Mix with whisk or spatula until no lumps. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring consistently until the mixture becomes thicker. Once you see some lines appear, it is ready.
• Remove from heat and transfer to a clean bowl to let it cool. Cool down to room temperature and use straight away or fridge for a few days. Return to room temperature before using.
• Line the baking pans with parchment paper.
• Whisk the Large Egg (1) and separate around 45 grams for the dough and 10 grams for the topping. Add 1 teaspoon of water to the topping whisked egg.
• Add the Salt (3/4 teaspoon), Bread Flour (320 gram), Instant Dry Yeast (1 1/8 teaspoon), Brown Sugar (2 1/2 tablespoon), Milk Powder (2 tablespoon), Butter (33 gram), Milk (65 gram), whisked egg, and the tangzhong into the bowl of stand mixer.
• Using the dough hook, knead until the dough comes together and is beginning to become elastic and tacky but not sticky. Tacky dough behaves sort of like a Post-it note, sticking to a surface but peeling off easily. It takes around 10 to 15 minutes. If the dough is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time.
• Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until double in size in a large greased bowl, covered with cling film or kitchen towel. I normally leave the dough in the stand mixer's bowl and cover with kitchen towel.
• Punch down the dough to release the air. Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface then divide into 12 equal portions. Shape each dough into a ball. Flatten the dough and shape it into an oval shape. Place the buns in the prepared baking pan. Let it rise for another 50 minutes or until double in size.
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).
• Slit center of the bun with scissor. Brush with egg wash. Place the Salted Butter (30 gram) onto the slit and top with Sea Salt (to taste) and Brown Sugar (30 gram).
• Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and transfer onto a wire rack to cool. Serve and enjoy!

BROWN SUGAR BUNS OR ROLLS

Steps:

• Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin (I've used cooking spray and shortening with equal success).
• Cream together butter and brown sugar in small bowl and place a generous teaspoon of mixture in each muffin cup. Set the rest aside.
• In a large bown mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender, 2 knives or a fork incorporate shortening into flour until they're fully combined.
• Make a well in the center and gradually add milk, stirring with a fork until a moist dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface and with a floured rolling pin roll as close as possible to a 30 x 30 cm (12 X 12 inch) square. Trim to form a square.
• Spread reserved brown sugar and butter mixture over top, reaching all 4 sides. An offset spatula works really well for this!
• Roll dough towards you and reposition seam side down. Slice in half, and then into quarters. Cut each quarter into 3 pinwheels, approx 1 inch each.
• Place 1 roll in each muffin cup, with the filling up.
• Bake in a preheated 425 oven for 12 minutes. I find they come out better when I turn my convection off so you may want to try that as well, if it applies. Keep an eye on them for the last couple of minutes -- you want to remove them from the oven while the sugar is still bubbling.
• Use a spoon to remove them to a rack to cool right away, before the sugar cools. I put waxed paper under the rack to make clean up easier.
• Enjoy!

MOM'S HOMEMADE BUNS

Steps:

• In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the warm water, yeast and sugar.
• Let sit for 10 minutes or until bubbly -- this is how you know your yeast is working. This step is technically not required when using instant yeast, but I do it always anyways, so that I know my buns will be a success.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a very large bowl if you are kneading by hand), whisk together the 2 cups warm water, butter, 1/3 cup sugar and salt.
• Add the bubbly yeast mixture and stir to combine.
• Place the bowl in the stand mixer and put the dough hook on the machine. You can also knead by hand.
• Add the flour, one cup at a time, and mix until nearly combined before adding more. You can use all purpose or whole wheat or a combination. Start with 4-5 cups flour, mixing until each is incorporated.
• The closer you get to your dough being ready, the less flour you will add at once. We want a smooth, soft dough, never stiff, so we need to watch and stop adding flour at just the right moment.
• Add up to 6-7 cups flour total, very gradually at the end, until the dough comes together in a smooth, soft ball and does not stick to the sides of the stand mixer. When you touch it, it should be smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky.
• Place dough in a large lightly greased bowl (you can use the same bowl and grease it), and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.
• Set in a warm spot (I use the oven with the light on -- turn the oven on to preheat for 2-4 minutes before turning off and adding the dough) and let rise until doubled, about 1.5 hours.
• Uncover dough, punch down, and roll out 20-24 rounds -- smoothing the top and pinching the seam in the back to smooth (see video for additional details).
• Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let rise (you don't have to cover them) in a warm spot for 30 to 90 minutes (instant yeast will be quicker) until doubled.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until light golden brown.

SUGAR FREE CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• Lightly oil a bowl to use for the dough to rise in. Set this aside. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast into the warm tap water. Allow this to sit for about five to seven minutes while you continue to work. It will thicken while you work.
• In a mixing bowl, mix together the hot milk, sugar, butter, salt, egg and 2 cups of flour. Add the yeast mixture and then slowly add the remaining flour a half cup at a time, stirring between additions. When this is ready to knead, knead this for 5-7 minutes and then place this into the lightly oiled bowl. Coat the dough with additional oil (you do not need to use a lot), cover the bowl with a towel and allow to rise until double in size. This should not take longer than an hour to happen.