Homemade buns are a simple, fantastic bread! These two batches were made last week for burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches. Here I'll show how I prepare the dough building on the essentials shared in a recent post on breadmaking.

The Goal. Share a simple approach to rolls and maximizing a quick rise.

Step 1: Mixing the Dough

Detailed notes on breadmaking are shared in my breakmaking instructable... it really is more of an art than a science

My approach doesn't include a recipe but here I'll share how I prepared the dough.

Oil - 1-2 tbsp
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1/2 can (a week in the fridge and ready to bake)
Water - typically I use at least a 50/50 milk to water ratio... in this case I only added water.
Spiced oil - a pinch, I used a szechuan peppercorn infused oil
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Yeast - 2 tsp... Yes, I used a lot and added it without a test. typically I start it in a sugar solution. I figured I would just add a little extra and add it direct. (here's the 1lb pack of yeast that's a way better value than the little pouches sold at most groceries)
Flour - as needed to achieve a dough

Easy to have walmart pull all the ingredients with the new grocery pickup... here's a link to $10 off.

Step 2: Preparing Dough

After allowing a first proof (2-3 hours, until doubled) I then folded the dough a few times. I then sliced off portions to form rolls.

Slice dough - cut portions about half the size of the finished rolls
Shape - I tuck the edges and keep my hands dusted in cornmeal.
Dust - I then dust the rolls in cornmeal (masa)
Sesame Seeds - the cover rolls received an egg wash and sprinkle of sesame seeds

Step 3: Final Proof

On the baking sheet allow the rolls to sit an extra 20min. This fast dough was ready in about 15min but consider 20min to be the standard.

Cover during proofing. Easy to use a sheet of plastic wrap. I am now using for rolls a glass pyrex baking pan. It's the right size and fits nicely in my aluminum sheet pan. The glass pan also stays in place for baking.

Step 4: Baking

The heavier the cover... the better the bake. I use a glass pyrex to cover the rolls for the first half of the bake.

Place in Cold Oven - always better to raise the temp gradually for bread.
Bake at 425F (220C) - start covered
Remove Cover - at about 20 minutes into the bake
Finish - assume about 40 minutes to bake these buns. Bake till the rolls look the desired color. We've all eaten enough rolls. The nice thing about smaller breads is that the dough will cook through. The decision is really about the finish on the crust.

Step 5: Finished Product

These buns are perfect!

We were really impressed with how well the sweetened condensed milk worked in the buns. Not that sweetened condensed milk ever disappoints.

Step 6: Perfect Sandwiches

For Sandwiches. These homemade buns are perfect. Here are a couple shots of where these buns were used.

My Approach. Hope this instructable has made it a little easier to make bread. It's commonly seen as more difficult than it needs to be. My approach is to keep it simple and know that it's very hard to mess up with bread.

Thanks for reading! Jeff

A recent instructable I put together for the barbecue showdown is Grilled Ribs ---simple approach to making perfect ribs
One that at first seems too simple is Pillowcase Backpack---super useful addition to the pack