Easy peasy bread buns

Hi everyone! Seems like ages since either of us has blogged...

Last night the two of us had some soup to eat, and as the only bread left in the house was a couple of stale Waitrose buns, I thought I'd knock up some bread buns to dip in the soup.  I'm afraid that this recipe isn't very specific about the amount of wet ingredients, and you kinda have to feel for the right consistency, but if you get it right then they come out really well.

The best thing about this recipe is that it only needs one rise, which takes about an hour, so much quicker than the majority of bread recipes. You don't get the same strength of flavour that you get with a proper slow-risen loaf, but you do end up with nice soft rolls that are great for dipping in soup or making sandwiches.

You need:
500g strong white flour
1tsp easy bake (instant) yeast
1tsp salt
a glug of olive oil
roughly 150ml of milk
about 100-150ml of tepid water

1. Weigh out your flour into a decent size mixing bowl, and make a well in the middle

2. Add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl (leaving the well free for water)

3. Add a couple of tablespoons of the water into the well, along with a glug of olive oil (about a tablespoon) and all of the milk. Get your hands in (keep one hand clean to answer the phone with), and start mixing and bringing the ingredients together.

4. Once all the fluid has been absorbed, gradually add more water a couple of tablespoons at a time, mixing to make sure that all the water has been absorbed before adding more. Keep adding water until you have a slightly wet, fairly sticky lump of dough.

5. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and knead it for about 15 minutes. You could probably use a mixer and do it in 5, but kneading by hand is much more satisfying. Keep kneading until the dough is really smooth and slightly glossy and stretches to about 3 times its length without tearing.

6. Stretch the dough out into a sausage and divide into as many equal pieces as you feel like. I went for 8. I'd probably recommend 6 if you want them for quarter pounders - it is BBQ season after all!

7. Roll each piece round against the worktop cupping your fingers like a cage. As you roll it, a knot should form underneath and you should end up with a nice round ball of dough.

8. Place each of the balls about 1 finger width apart on a sheet of greaseproof paper, and cover the whole thing loosely with going film to stop them from drying out.

9. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Once the buns have risen enough so that they're just touching, remove the cling film and stick the whole sheet in the oven.

10. Bake for 10-15 minutes until they're a golden colour on top and underneath. When you tap/press underneath, there should be enough resistance/crispness to convince you they're baked!

11. Leave to cool on a wire rack, or split one and butter it straight away if you just can't wait.

Enjoy! It's a good quick recipe if you have 90 minutes to kill and really want some fresh bread. The milk adds a bit of sweetness to the dough and keeps the crust a bit softer than an all-water dough. If you want proper crusty buns, replace the milk with water.

Bob x