Makes 16 buns
Ingredients
Dough
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter, ripe (fed) or discard (if you’re local and would like a starter, let me know, you can have some from mine and it’s easy to maintain)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespooon sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 large egg
- 5 tablespoons soft butter
- 2/3 cup lukewarm water
Topping
- 4 tablespoons melted, salted butter, divided
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped into tiny pieces
Directions
- 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 and allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2-2 hours, until it’s just about doubled in size.
- Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface.
- Roll and pat the dough into a rough rectangle approximately 12″ x 16″.
- Put 2 tablespoons melted butter in a small bowl and brush the dough with the melted butter.
- Sprinkle the chopped rosemary on top of the buttered dough.
- Starting with a long side, roll the dough into a log.
- Cut the log in 1″ slices using a sharp knife.
- Lightly butter two 8″ or 9″ round cake pans. Arrange 8 buns in each pan.
- Cover the pans, and let the buns rise for 60 minutes, until they’re noticeably puffy. Don’t let these buns rise too long; you want them to have enough rising power left to expand nicely in the oven. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Uncover the pans, and brush each bun with some of the remaining melted butter.
- Bake the buns for 22 to 25 minutes; they’ll color only slightly.
- Remove the buns from the oven, and turn them out of the pan onto a rack. Brush with any remaining melted butter. Serve hot or warm. To reheat, place the buns on a baking sheet, tent lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 10 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven.
- Wrap any leftover buns airtight, and store at room temperature for several days. For longer storage, wrap airtight and freeze.
This is a slightly adapted version of the original King Arthur Buttery Sourdough Buns recipe.