Potato buns are often sold very cheap at hypermarkets’ bakeries. Because they are cheap, I seldom give it a try. So, I do not know if they are supposed to be fluffy like normal buns or have texture almost like cake due to the potato flakes.
But I got myself a packet of potato bun pre-mix flour the other day from Cooking Island. One of those days when I must try something new. The flour is 1 KG but I used only half. Good thing ‘cos my bread-maker/dough machine can only take in so much.
Here’s what I used (more for my own memory sake when I want to do the 2nd batch)
500 grams potato bun pre-mix flour
2 eggs
200 grams of milk (warmed)
2 tablespoons of dried yeast (the recipe calls for 25 gms)
100 grams of butter/shortening
Normally, if one is kneading the dough with hands, the process is something like this:
1) Mix well, knead and leave to rise
2) Punch out the air and knead again
3) Leave to rise again
4) Shape the buns and leave to rise further before baking
Hard to judge the time because it depends on the weather, hotter weather will cause the dough to rise faster. As I used the dough machine, all these were done mechanically. It took 1 hr 30 minutes. There is some sort of warmer in the machine to cause the dough to rise beautifully.
I wrapped some sausages with the dough to make mini hotdog buns. The above pic is buns with dried shrimp sambal (from my Hokkien Mee’s attempt)
Those buns that have fillings taste good and were walloped clean before they were even cold. However, the few that I made without fillings turned out a bit ‘cakey’ flavour. I must make mental note to stick to Erina’s suggested recipe instead of just ‘agak-agak’ the quantity of the eggs and butter. I am going to use less butter next time and use water instead of milk.
If you have never try making buns at home, do experiment with it. It is fun with a ball of dough and lots of creative ideas. Buns bake easily (about 20-30 minutes in 180 deg C) so it is not really a chore eventhough it takes a while to wait for the dough to rise and rise.
To make sausage buns, just roll the dough into a long, snakey shape and twist it around the sausage. Imagine a snake twisting on a branch? Glaze with egg and they will turn out like those sold at bakeries.
It takes some skill and experimenting to get the right dough recipe, though.