Golden Pull-Apart Butter Buns

By KimberlyB

Tips from our bakers
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.
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. 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.
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.

Ingredients

• 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

Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 224mins
Adapted from kingarthurflour.com

Preparation

Step 1

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.

Yield: 16 buns.