We LOVE fresh bread! As the weather turns cooler and our eating habits prefer a more cozy feel, there’s nothing quite like the smell of a fresh loaf of bread or soft buns for dinner. Somedays I’ll get the mixer out and make dough from scratch, most days we need to function within a busy house so I’ll get the frozen loaves. Our local Independent grocer has a 5 pack of frozen bread loaves for close to $1 per loaf. Cost effective and a great product. All you have to do is pull a loaf out of the bag, wrap it in saran wrap and leave it to defrost overnight in the fridge. The dough can be used for so many things, but today I’ll go over how I use it make fresh buns super easy!
Once the dough is defrosted, lay it out on a cutting board and cut it into the size of portion you would like. Sometimes we do smaller buns which as easy for dipping. Other times, like in the photo I do bigger ones which we can use the next day for sandwiches. Take your pan, if making buns a square pan is fantastic and lightly brush the edges with oil. If you don’t have a brush, you can lightly pour some oil onto a paper towel and use that to brush the edges. Place the buns in the pan with space around them. Turn the oven on for a minute or less, just to warm it a bit, then back off. Cover the pans with the dough with saran wrap lain over top, not tightly secured. Place the buns in the warmed oven, with the light on to rise. Buns rise faster than bread, which is why we tend to go this way when in more of a rush. Let the buns rise until they are double in size. It takes about an hour and a half. Once they have doubled, pull them out of the oven, turn it on to 375F. Once the oven has reached it’s correct temperature take the saran wrap off the pan and place the buns in. Cook until they are brown on top and are hollow sounding when you tap them. Depending on the size of the bun cooking times can vary, but it’s usually 25-30 minutes.
There are so many things you can do with the buns to create different flavours. We like shredding cheese and kneading it into the dough before cutting it. You can sprinkle cheese on top. Brush the buns with garlic butter or other spices stirred into melted butter. In the picture below I sprinkled garlic powder and rosemary on top. I’ve done herb parmesan buns before too which are delicious!
It does take time to let the buns rise, so I often pair these with stovetop dinners. I start the buns first, then prep my vegetables, meat, what not. Stews, spaghetti, slowcooker or bbq dinners all work really well when your oven is off limits for a bit. Simple steps to manage time and create delicious meals is always a win!
Everyday Functionality 