King Arthur Flour’s Butter Pull-Apart Buns

Citizens, the gloriously glutinous Bohemian that ALONE is TFD loves bread in virtually all of its forms – but is especially fond of the classic pull-apart rolls that adorn every Winter holiday table!

This recipe from King Arthur Flour is my go-to version of these delights!

As noted on kingarthurflour.com:

At last! The quintessential soft, buttery dinner roll. Nestled — we might even say “crowded” — into a couple of 8″ round pans, the shaped buns rise into one another as they bake. The result? Soft-sided pull-apart buns, ready for melting pats of soft butter.

These days, with “artisan” the byword for many yeast bakers, we aspire to breads that are ever more crusty/chewy, such as pizza crust, baguettes, bagels and more.

But let’s not lose sight of a whole world of classic soft yeast breads: the sliced white bread of our youthful sandwiches, the Sunday morning platter of tender sticky buns.

Citizens, this recipe is simply superb – I hope you choose to incorporate this into your Holiday meal bread-baking repertoire!

Battle on – The Generalissimo

King Arthur Flour’s Butter Pull-Apart Buns

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★★★★

4 from 8 reviews

• Total Time: 0 hours

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons potato flour or 1/4 cup instant potato flakes
• 3 tablespoons Baker’s Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons soft butter
• 2/3 cup lukewarm water
• 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
• ***
• Topping:
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

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Instructions

1. Combine all of the dough ingredients in a large bowl, and mix and knead — using your hands, a stand mixer, or a bread machine set on the dough cycle — to make a soft, smooth dough.
2. Place the dough in a lightly greased container — an 8-cup measure works well here. Cover the container, and allow the dough to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until it’s just about doubled in bulk.
3. Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface.
4. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, by dividing in half, then in halves again, etc. Round each piece into a smooth ball.
5. Lightly grease two 8″ round cake pans. Space 8 buns in each pan. Can you use 9″ round cake pans, or a 9″ x 13″ pan? Sure; the buns just won’t nestle together as closely, so their sides will be a bit more baked.
6. Cover the pans, and allow the buns to rise till they’re crowded against one another and quite puffy, about 60 to 90 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. Uncover the buns, and bake them for 22 to 24 minutes, until they’re golden brown on top and the edges of the center bun spring back lightly when you touch it. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the center bun should register at least 190°F.
8. Remove the buns from the oven, and brush with the melted butter. After a couple of minutes, turn them out of the pan onto a cooling rack.
9. Serve warm. Store leftovers well-wrapped, at room temperature.
10. Tips from our bakers:
11. Rather than worrying about heating milk and water to lukewarm, simply combine cold milk with hot tap water. The result? Lukewarm liquid, which is your goal.
12. To make the buns the day before, then bake them just before serving, prepare them up to the point where they’re shaped and in the pan. Let them rise until they’ve filled the pan and are touching one another, but aren’t fully risen. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
13. Next day, remove the buns from the fridge (keeping them covered), and let warm/rise for an hour or so before uncovering and baking as directed.
14. For smaller buns, divide the dough into 24 pieces instead of 16. Bake in a 9″ x 13″ pan (four rows of six buns each), if desired.
15. Want to make these buns a day or so ahead of time? Try the tangzhong technique, a Japanese method for increasing the softness and shelf life of yeast rolls. Begin by measuring out the flour and milk you’ll be using in the recipe. Now take 3 tablespoons of the measured flour and the ½ cup milk; put them in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it forms a thick slurry; this will take about 1 ½ to 2 ½ minutes.
16. Transfer the cooked mixture to a bowl, let it cool to lukewarm, then combine it with the remaining flour and the other dough ingredients, increasing the amount of water to ⅞ cup (7 ounces). Proceed with the recipe as directed. Well-wrapped and stored at room temperature, your finished buns should stay soft and fresh for several days.

• Prep Time: 0 hours
• Cook Time: 0 hours

Nutrition

• Calories: 647.75 kcal
• Sugar: 10.57 g
• Sodium: 511.43 mg
• Fat: 21.11 g
• Saturated Fat: 12.71 g
• Trans Fat: 0.7 g
• Carbohydrates: 98.47 g
• Fiber: 3.79 g
• Protein: 15.17 g
• Cholesterol: 54.66 mg