Fast Buttery Buns Recipe | Bread Baking

Updated August 30, 2018

The problem with trying to make bread quickly is that you sacrifice flavor. A long, slow rise does magical things to dough, resulting in a bread that can be the star of a meal.

Then there are times when you just need some bread. Buns to hold your barbecue pork sandwich. Dinner rolls to sop up some spectacular gravy. In those cases, the bread is destined to be the supporting actor, no matter what. So it doesn't matter that it's not an artisan-inspired loaf with a fancy foreign name.

Bread snob that I am, there are times when all I need is something simple. Something that can be done quickly so I can move onto more important things. Like the afternoon nap, or thinking about planning on doing some laundry.

But even when I'm in a hurry, I'd prefer that the resulting bread isn't completely bland. Sometimes that means I'm a little more generous with flavor enhancers. Like butter. Just a little extra. Y'all.

As far as the sugar, I used natural cane sugar, which has a slight molasses flavor. White sugar would be fine but for a little boost of flavor, honey or light brown sugar might be a better bet.

Recipe Details

Fast Buttery Buns Recipe | Bread Baking

Active 25 mins

Total 115 mins

Serves 12 buns

Ingredients

1 cup lukewarm water
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon cane sugar
2 1/2 cups (11 1/4 ounces) bread flour (divided)
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions

Put the water, yeast, sugar, and 2 cups of the bread flour into the bowl of your stand mixer. Stir to combine. I will be loose and gooey. Put the remaining flour on top. Add the salt. Cover with plastic wrap (yes, you're just leaving that flour on top for now) and set aside for 20 minutes.
Remove the plastic wrap and knead the dough with the stand mixer fitted with the dough hook until the dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic. It will be a soft dough. Add the butter and continue kneading until the butter is completely incorporated. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside for 20 minutes.
Flour your work surface and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn out the dough and knead briefly. It should be soft and feel bouncy. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and shape into balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet.
Note: if you want sandwich/burger buns instead of round rolls, flatten the balls to about 1/2 high. I made 6 of the flatter buns and 6 round buns. Cover the buns with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
Remove the plastic wrap and bake at 350 degrees until nicely browned, about 25 minutes. Remove the buns from the baking sheet and let cool on a rack.

Rolls & Buns

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
136	Calories
4g	Fat
21g	Carbs
4g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories	136
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g	6%
Saturated Fat 2g	12%
Cholesterol 10mg	3%
Sodium 178mg	8%
Total Carbohydrate 21g	8%
Dietary Fiber 1g	3%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 6mg	0%
Iron 0mg	1%
Potassium 35mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.