Pretzel buns (burgers-sliders and hotdogs)

Salted Pretzel Rolls

Yield: 8 large rollsPrep Time: 20 minutes (plus 1 1/2 hours rise time)Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Make the rolls smaller if you just want to use them as small dinner rolls.

ingredients:
1 ½ cup warm water (110°F)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (not instant rise yeast)
2 teaspoons sugar
4-½ cups unbleached all-purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted Butter, melted
¼ cups baking soda
1 whole egg, lightly beaten
Pretzel Salt, for sprinkling

directions:
In the bowl of your stand mixer (fitted with the dough hook attachment), add the water, yeast, and sugar. Stir and let rest 5-10 minutes until foamy (mine didn't look all that foamy but still turned out).

Add the flour, salt, and melted butter and mix using the dough hook until combined well. Cover with a plastic wrap (or a towel) and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk (again, mine didn't look like it rose all that much, but turned out amazingly). Punch the dough down and turn it onto a lightly floured clean surface.

Line 1 large sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Cut the dough into 8 pieces (4 1/2 - 5 ounces each). To shape the dough "take a piece of dough and start forming a round, smooth ball by pulling the sides to the center and pinching to seal. Place, pinched side down, on a counter and lightly cupping your hand around the dough ball, rotate your hand in small circles lightly rolling the ball around the palm of your hand."

Place the ball on the prepared baking sheet pinched seam side down, with at least 1” between each roll. I like to stagger mine: 2 rolls side by side, then one down one row but between the two in the top row... Then 2 more side by side, followed by one down a row but between the 2 in the top row... etc (this will fit all 8 on one cookie sheet). Cover with a towel and allow to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes until they rise & double (mine didn't rise a whole lot).

Preheat oven to 425°F and place oven rack in the middle position. In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a low boil. Remove from heat and slowly add the baking soda (I dumped mine in and it boiled up and overflowed all over my stove - lesson learned! hah) place back on heat and lower to a simmer.

Place 2-3 of the rolls at a time into the poaching liquid, seam side down. Poach for 30 seconds and then carefully turn the roll over and poach for another 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon to the same prepared sheet pan, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining rolls.

Using a pastry brush, brush each roll with the beaten egg, making sure to coat all sides completely & then prinkle each roll with a little pretzel salt. Using a sharp straight edged knife, cut a slash (or 2) -or- an “X” shape in the top of each roll. Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve hot!

Source 

Hot Cross bun day

Sunday is hot cross buns day! Here's a lovely recipe - super easy and perfect results yielding a fluffy delicious bun.

Hot Cross Buns (recipe from Tablespoon)

2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast

3 to 3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

4 tbsp butter, softened

¾ cup warm milk (100º)

¼ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

4 tsp all-spice

1 tsp salt

1 cup raisins (or half cup raisins and half a cup dried black currants)

1 tbsp lemon zest

Egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tsp water)

Glaze (1 tsp milk and 3-4 tbsp powdered sugar)

Directions:

Heat milk to 100º F and dissolve yeast in milk for 10 minutes, until mixture is foamy.

Meanwhile, mix 3 cups of flour, sugar, spices, zest and salt in a stand mixer.

Add yeast mixture and mix until combine. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Add softened butter.


Mix with dough hook attachment until dough is smooth and elastic. Add remaining flour if dough is too sticky. Kneed dough by hand and mix in dried fruit).

Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Punch down risen dough and divide into 12 equal pieces, rolling each piece into a ball.

Place dough pieces on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise another two hours.

Preheat oven to 375º.

Remove plastic wrap from buns and score the tops of each bun with a cross shape, about ¼-inch deep. Brush the tops with egg wash and bake for 15 minutes or until deep golden brown.

Allow to cool completely before drizzling a cross shape with glaze on the tops of each bun.

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For more fun foodie holidays check out this awesome site that I've been following for over a year now! Foodimentary