Hot dog buns

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Whisk 25 g bread flour with 125 g water in a small saucepan until smooth, then set it over low heat and whisk constantly for about three minutes. Cooked flour paste holds much more water than raw flour, and that's the secret to a soft, moist crumb. The paste is ready when it is as thick as pudding and the whisk leaves clear trails on the bottom of the pan; scrape it into a small bowl, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and let it cool.

   Low heat.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Put 375 g bread flour, 15 g milk powder, 35 g superfine sugar and 6 g instant yeast in the mixer bowl, add the cooled tangzhong, 50 g eggs and 150 g whole milk, and mix on low speed. Mixing the dry ingredients first spreads the yeast evenly and keeps it from touching the salt directly. The mixture is ready when it comes together into a moist, slightly sticky dough with no white streaks of paste.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Sprinkle in 7 g salt and knead for about five minutes, then add 40 g softened unsalted butter and keep kneading on medium speed until the dough is very stretchy, about fifteen minutes in total. Tangzhong dough is very sticky at first, so don't rush to add more flour; just knead long enough. The dough is ready when it pulls away from the bowl, the surface is smooth, and it stretches into a thin, translucent windowpane.

   Suggested time: about 15 minutes.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it tightly, and leave it in a warm spot for about 60 minutes. This time lets the yeast produce gas and relaxes the gluten so shaping is easier. The dough is ready when it has doubled and you can see tiny bubbles through the bottom of the bowl.

   Suggested time: about 60 minutes.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Divide the dough into ten equal pieces, roll each into a long oval, roll it up tightly from the long side, and gently roll it into a log about 15 cm long. Rolling tightly creates fine layers that make the buns soft and evenly slender. The logs are ready when both ends are even, the seam runs straight underneath, and the surface isn't torn.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Line the logs up in rows on a parchment-lined baking sheet about one centimeter apart so they touch as they rise, cover them with plastic wrap, and proof for about 50 minutes; preheat the oven to 180°C while you wait. Placing them close together keeps the sides soft and makes the buns rise up instead of spreading out. They're ready when the logs have risen into each other and grown to roughly twice their size.

   Suggested time: about 50 minutes.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Beat 25 g eggs and brush them lightly over the buns, then bake at 180°C for about 14 to 16 minutes. A thin egg wash gives a golden shine without hardening the crust. The buns are done when the tops are an even honey gold and the seams where the buns touch no longer look white and damp.

   Bake at 180°C for about 14 to 16 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Let the buns cool on the baking sheet for about ten minutes, then move them to a wire rack. Once completely cool, pull them apart and cut a slit down the top or side of each one without cutting all the way through. Slicing once they're cool keeps the crumb from squashing and sticking to the knife. The buns are ready when the slit opens like a clamshell with plenty of room for a hot dog.

   Mark step 8 as done