Kevin: Summer Breads - Buns

"Pig sandwich boy." This is what my co-blogger and supposed friend Beth calls me. Does this sound like a term of endearment? A sweet and touching reference to my fondness for sandwiches and pork? Or does it sound more like opprobrium? A sly snideness hiding behind a mask of bonhomie. I think she's dissing me and isn't really one of my homies, bon or otherwise. Perhaps she has simply mistaken her classics and considers me a Pygmalian, but I think not.

Be that as it may, here at AYIB central (meaning a conference call using my phone service) we've decided to do another selection of summer breads, but not sandwich breads, per se. Instead we're going to offer three different breads suitable for summer picnics, pool parties, watching fireworks, and plain old lazy-Sunday grilling. I got the nod to go first and thought I'd offer a bun recipe. Specifically a recipe I developed last summer for pulled pork barbeque. (Ok, so maybe Beth has a point.)

In this area of the South pulled pork is usually served on soft white hamburger buns. They're a better platform than the white sandwich bread used in some places, but contribute almost nothing to the final sandwich. I'd decided to make barbeque for my father's birthday and decided if I was going to devote 8 - 9 hours smoking a pork butt to perfection then I wanted something better than an ordinary hamburger bun. I wanted a bun that made it's own contribution to the meal and after giving it some thought I decided that if pork is good on the bun, it'd be good in the bun. So I came up with these Bacon Buns. (Alright, so Beth definitely has a point.)

The recipe incorporates some whole-wheat flour for both flavor and texture — but not a lot. The bun should be light and airy. Along those same lines, slow rising and minimal yeast produce deeper and richer flavors and I have bias toward such flavor. But these characteristics also produce a tougher bread because the gluten is more developed. So in keeping with my "light and airy" goal I elected to do a quick single rise.

Bacon Buns
Makes 10 - 12 buns.

ingredients US volume | Metric volume | US weight | Metric weight
milk 1 c | 236 ml | 8 oz | 225 g
water 1/2 c | 118 ml | 4 oz | 112.5 g
bacon fat 1/4 c | 56 ml | 2 oz | 56 g
whole-wheat flour 1 c | 236 ml | 5 1/8 oz | 146 g
all-purpose flour 3 1/2 c | 825 ml | 18 oz | 510 g
instant yeast 1 1/2 tsp | 7.5 ml | — | —
sugar 2 tbsp | 30 ml | 1 1/4 oz | 32 g
salt 1/2 tsp | 2.5 ml | — | —
egg 1 large

Heat the milk, bacon fat, and water in a small saucepan until about 110F.

Mix together 2 cups flour, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Mix in milk mixture, followed by the egg.

Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time — switching to the dough hook after adding a cup and a half of flour. Knead for 8 minutes then turn out on a floured board and knead 2 or 3 minutes longer if required. Shape dough into a roll and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 10 equal pieces. Form each piece into a round shape and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Click on the slideshow to the left to see the details of shaping the buns.

Spritz buns with a light coating of oil and cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until slightly more than doubled in bulk (it took an hour and a half for this batch).

While the buns are rising, heat the oven to 400F and position a rack in the middle of the oven.

Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate baking sheet 180 degrees. Bake another 2 to 4 minutes until golden brown.

Technorati: Food | recipe | baking | bread | artisanal | artisan | bread baking | summer breads | buns | hamburger buns