Korean Sweet Bun

Hey friends,

I recently bought some high-quality dry active yeast from New Market (otherwise known as Hogg Market) which is a paradise for shoppers as well as foodies like me for they say you can get tiger milk if you search really well! That...is a pretty weird concept (I certainly don't know anyone brave enough to try to milk a tiger) but you get the general picture.

I got this recipe from a Korean website and this was my first attempt at bread-making. There were nerves and a broken cup involved. I better not get into the details.

Rather let's dive into the recipe straight away:

Ingredients:

500 grams plain white flour
12 grams active dry yeast
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 small pinch of salt
1/2 cup warm milk (micro it for 30 seconds and the temperature will be perfect)
Water as required
1 large egg
1/2 cup of vegetable oil or melted butter
Extra flour for dusting the work-surface
1 egg (beaten along with two tablespoon of milk)

Preparation:

First prepare the yeast mixture by mixing together yeast, sugar, warm milk and a tablespoon of flour and set it aside for ten minutes. After ten minutes or when the mixture looks thickened up and bubbles appear around the edges, put in the rest of the flour, egg, oil and mix with a wooden spatula. The mixture should be too sticky to handle. If not, add some water to it. Give it a thorough mix. The dough should be sticking to the side of the bowl. Scrape it on a floured work-surface and continue kneading it with fingertips dipped in flour. Knead gently for five to seven minutes and transfer to a large oiled bowl. Cover and let it rest at a warm place (I had put it inside the microwave) for at least one hour. After one hour the dough should be almost double in size. If not, let it rest for another half an hour or so.

Tip the dough on a floured surface again. Punch the air out of the dough and knead for one or two minutes lightly. By this time, the dough should be smooth and supple and if poked the surface should bounce back. Now divide the dough into equal portions. You can give them any shape you want. I rolled them out like long sausages and made a simple knot. You can just shape them into balls.

Place your buns on a greased baking tray. Keep them slightly apart from one another and let them rest in your oven without turning it on. After half an hour check and see if they have risen further or not. If you have followed all the steps correctly, they should puff up well.

Now brush the top or the entire exposed portion of the buns with beaten egg and milk mixture. This is absolutely crucial if you want a nice, brown crust.

If you want you can top your bread with sugar or sesame seeds. It would look pretty and would add an extra layer of taste/flavour.

Bake your bread in a pre-heated oven in 200 degree Celsius for 20 minutes. After twenty minutes check the bottom of the bread. If it doesn't look cooked, put it in for another couple of minutes. Your bread will become dry if overcooked so be really careful here.

Finally take out the bread and serve warm with butter and jam (preferably mixed fruit).




..........and welcome to nirvana by freshly baked bread! :)