Jan 08 2009
Buns (hot ones)
A few days ago I followed a recipe for ricotta and blueberry buns from one of those supermarket cookery leaflets. I was beset on all sides by problems (like the ricotta in the fridge turning out to be mascarpone) but eventually got there.
They are… okay. I don’t really know what I would do in future, but they need several things done to them. First, they are too well done on top. They are all beyond golden, into that phase we shall call “browned”. I made some of them pinched together around the filling like a sack, and some as smooth round domes. The domed ones would be better if glazed. The messy-looking ones are better unglazed, but are still too dark.
The muffin cases aren’t a great idea. The dough doesn’t separate well from the paper, so I should maybe use the parchment that the recipe asks for. I just thought it seemed like too much of a hassle.
I’d really like to do them again so that I can undo all my mistakes. But I’m less motivated to make doughs at the moment because the flat is so cold that the yeast takes forever to activate. All proving times seem to need doubled. Maybe we just need a warmer flat!
2 Responses to “Buns (hot ones)”
well as some bread guru said all it needs is warmth and time - (in inverse proportions though you can have too much of both). You might have to sit the dough on top of the cooker with the over turned low or heat the bowl with hot water before you return the dough to prove and wrap whole lot up in a bath towel to insulate
It’s true. Everything takes much longer. I have to re-evaluate the best time to do things. I haven’t yet tried making dough first thing in the morning. That will probably be the way to waste the least time, if I leave the bread for a slow rise in a cold place during the day. Something for tomorrow?