Golden Pull-Apart Butter Buns

By Foodiewife

These rolls are amazing! They are very tender, and pretty easy to make. If you are afraid of working with yeast, these might intimidate you a bit. Once you learn the trick on how to stretch, pinch and roll the dough, these will turn out perfectly. The King Arthur Blog has a step-by-step tutorial, on how to actually shape rolls.

These are going to be my Thanksgiving, and any special occasion rolls! King Arthur Flour rocks!

Ingredients

• BUNS:
• 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

Details

Servings 16
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 152mins
Adapted from foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 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.

Place the dough in a lightly greased container (an 8-cup measure works well here) and allow the dough to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until it's just about doubled in bulk.

Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface.

Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, by dividing in half, then in halves again, etc. Round each piece into a smooth ball.

Lightly grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Space 8 buns in each pan. Can you use 9-inch round cake pans, or a 9" x 13-inch pan? Sure; the buns just won't nestle together as closely, so their sides will be a bit more baked.

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.

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.

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.

Serve warm. Store leftovers well-wrapped, at room temperature.

Notes: I love King Arthur Flour products, so I did use their SAF Instant Yeast, Easy Roll Dough Improver, Dry Milk Powder and a little vital wheat gluten. You don't have to use these, though. I didn't have potato flour, so I used instant mashed potatoes. These rolls are amazing! Fluffy, tender, and buttery. Just be sure that you yeast is fresh AND don't rush the rise-- I let mine go for 90 minutes when the first batch failed, because I didn't give the yeast time to work.