Admit it, you wish your house smelled this good right now!

April 1 is tomorrow, and that’s our Auntie Elsie’s birthday, or it would have been if she was still with us.  We miss her every day, and while I was busy thinking of her I felt that need to make some soft white dinner buns, the kind she used to bring to every family dinner as a treat.  This dough is soft and tasty, and the texture is perfect.  Pretty sure she would have been proud of this effort!

Step 1:

• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 6 tsp. honey
• 6 tsp. butter
• 2 tsp. salt

Combine the above ingredients in a large bowl and cool.

Step 2:

• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (not too warm, you’ll kill the yeast)
• 3 tsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. fast rising yeast

Dissolve the water and sugar in a small bowl.  Sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit.

Step 3:

• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 6-7 cups unbleached white flour

Just waiting for this yeast to bloom a little more and I’ll be ready to start combining everything.

• Mix the eggs into the first (Step 1) mixture once it has cooled to room temperature.
• Add 1 cup of flour to this mixture and stir well.
• Add the yeast mixture (Step 2) to the bowl and stir to incorporate.
• Gradually add the remaining flour, cup by cup, until the dough gets too difficult to stir in the bowl.  At this point, on a floured surface (your counter), empty the dough and knead by hand until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.  You will need to keep the surface floured to prevent it from sticking.
• Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover with a clean tea towel, and place in a draft-free warm area to rise.

This dough is so soft, I can taste it already….

It’s true.  I’m that dork that has a re-usable cover for raising yeast dough.

• Let the dough rise until doubled (about 40 minutes) and punch it down.  Repeat this process once.

Yes, the yeast and time has done it’s job.

Time to release the dough and form buns.

• Preheat your oven to 350 F and grease two  9x 13 baking trays (the ones with the small sides).  You can use any shape of pan you want in actual fact.  Cut off pieces of dough that are approximately 1/2 cup in size (doesn’t have to be exact!) and form into buns.  I keep my fingers slightly floured and tuck the dough under as I stretch the dough to make it smooth on top, but you can use whatever technique you like!
• Place the buns about a 1/2 inch apart on the greased pan, cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until nicely browned.

Use this recipe for whatever you like!  Today I made mini pizza shells for the grandkids to make lunches with.  I call it the organic look when they aren’t all uniform in size and shape….

A tray of these is welcome at any dinner.

I thought I had Auntie Elsie’s original recipe, but couldn’t find it.  This recipe is from “Fraiche Nutrition” and if you haven’t been to her website, well – get on over there.  It is packed with delicious and nutritious recipes and tips.