If you’re at all like me, you absolutely loathe the crappy, mass-produced, light-as-air hamburger buns that they have on hand at most major supermarkets.  I’m talking about the ones that you throw your hot, juicy burger onto, that in turn dissolves into a condiment-laden sponge within minutes.  Last Summer, I’d finally had enough and decided to try making some of own.

While significantly more substantial than those found at most fast food establishments, these little guys are still very tender and delicate, retaining a resiliency that not many sesame seed buns can boast.  Unlike those at the grocery store, these will not melt or crumble in your hands.  They can stand up to a good amount of juices and have a flavor infinitely more complex than your typical factory-made variety.

With Memorial Day hours away, grilling season is finally upon us. Do yourself a favor this summer and try making these buns from scratch at least once.  I promise, your burgers will thank you.

HOMEMADE SESAME SEED BUNS

From Saveur Magazine

This isn’t the type of thing you make every weekend, so take your time and don’t rush the process.  I like to use a thermometer to measure the temperature of my milk.  It might be a little over-the-top, but properly warmed milk and a bit of sugar will get the yeast activated quickly.  When it comes time to knead the dough, don’t be afraid to do so on medium-high heat.  Let the machine do its job and really work the dough.  For best results, leave your dough to rise in a warm, draft-free spot for the full two hours before moving on to the next step.  For good looking buns, pinch the dough a bit as you roll them into tight balls.  This creates a smooth, uniform skin in the final product.  These buns are by no means just for burgers.  Try them with sloppy joes or even BBQ beef sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1  1⁄4-ounce package active dry yeast
• 1 1⁄3 cups milk, heated to 115°
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
• 4 cups flour
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2″ cubes, softened
• Canola oil, for greasing
• 3 teaspoons sesame seeds

METHOD:

1. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle, stir together yeast, milk, and 1 1⁄2 tsp. sugar; let foam. Stir in remaining sugar, flour, salt, and egg. Mix on low speed until dough forms. Replace paddle with dough hook; add butter; knead on medium-high speed until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 8 minutes. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Let rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

2. Heat oven to 400°. Divide dough into 12 portions; shape each into a tight ball. Place balls on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Lightly brush balls with oil; cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 1⁄2 hours.

3. Uncover dough and, using a spray bottle filled with water, moisten dough; sprinkle each ball with 1⁄4 tsp. sesame seeds. Bake, rotating once, until golden brown, 18–20 minutes. Let cool.

Makes 12 buns

As much as I would love to start out each day with a couple of cheesy scrambled eggs, salty bacon and a nice big piece of toast, the reality is that I wait until the absolute last minute to get out of bed and shower each morning, thus leaving me with no time to ever really cook anything of substance.  Sadly, my late-to-rise routine usually results in me dashing out the door each morning with a hastily toasted bagel in one hand and my computer in the other.  Of course, I love a good cream cheese slathered bagel, but sometimes I’m looking for something a bit sweeter to start my day with that still fits within the hand-held morning model.  While donuts and pancakes can be far too sweet for a quick breakfast and since cereal isn’t meant to be taken on the go, I’ve found that a nice thick slice of moist quick bread is the best compromise.

The mix of spices and ginger make this quick bread exceptionally delicious and the perfect way to use leftover carrots you probably have wilting away in your crisper. With a small, even crumb and dark, caramelized exterior, this bread is best with a pad of butter and your morning coffee. It may not satisfy the urge for a savory, cheese and egg-laden breakfast, but I doubt anyone will be complaining.

SPICED BROWN SUGAR CARROT BREAD

Adapted from from Beth Hensperger, Food & Wine Magazine

Don’t be afraid to play around with the spices and the ginger; I’ve included what I like best, but if you’d rather use dry ginger or more cinnamon don’t hesitate to give it try. If I’m looking for extra fiber, I sometimes swap out a bit of the flour with ground flax seed — it adds texture and a slight nutty flavor. As the method states, make sure to take your time when pouring in the oil. Also, the bread will get moister and more flavorful as it sits. I like to make it a day in advance. Of course, feel free to freeze the second loaf; it should thaw beautifully.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon crushed ground cardamom
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  
• Grated zest of 1 orange
  
• 2 1/2 cups shredded carrots (about 14 ounces)

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat two 8-by-4-inch loaf pans with cooking spray or grease and lightly flour the pans.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the light brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Add the oil in a thin stream, beating at high speed until the batter has doubled in volume, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, orange zest and ginger. Fold in the shredded carrots. Beat in the dry ingredients at low speed in 3 batches, mixing well between additions.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, filling them two-thirds full. Bake in the middle of the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean. Let the loaves cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a rack to cool completely.

Makes 2 8-by-4-inch loaves

Like baked barbecue pork buns, bagel dogs held a special place in my heart growing up. When hunger pangs struck after a long day at school, these bagel wrapped beauties were one of my favorite go-to snacks.  I was lucky enough to grow up in a town with a small bagel shop that was making them from scratch each morning.  More than anything, I was lucky enough to have a father who enjoyed them as much as I did, so there were always a few in the fridge.  In college, I’d take a dozen back to school with me and they’d easily disappear in a couple days time.  I only had three roommates!

It wasn’t until recently, when I learned of that same bagel shop’s demise that I finally felt motivated to try making them myself at home.  After a couple of so-so attempts and oddly shaped dogs, I finally found a recipe and technique that yields outstanding results – better in many ways than the ones of my youth.  Sure, the process of making bagel dogs from scratch might seem a little daunting and unnecessary considering the availability of frozen varieties at almost every grocery store, but believe me when I say, there is no substitute for the real thing.

BAGEL DOGS

Dough adapted from The Complete International Sandwich Book, by Sonia Uvezian

If you’re going through all the trouble of making bagel dogs from scratch, make sure to pick up some good quality hot dogs for the project.  Skinless, Ball Park franks don’t really cut it in this type of preparation — I like to use Nathan’s or Kasper’s with natural casings here.  When it comes time to roll out the dough, be patient as it can be quite elastic and take a bit of elbow grease to get it to the right thickness.  Don’t be afraid to add more flour to keep everything from sticking.  Rolling the dough around the hot dogs can be a bit tricky at first, but it gets much easier with a bit of practice.  Pinch the dough to one end of the hot dog with one hand while you wrap it tightly in an overlapping spiral motion with the other.  Be sure to rest the wrapped hot dogs seam side down to prevent them from unrolling during the second rising period.  Boiling the bagel dogs will produce the chewy crust that we all love in bagels.  When it comes time to do so, handle the dogs very carefully to avoid tearing or unrolling the dough.  Dry the boiled dogs thoroughly on a dry kitchen towel to ensure that your egg glaze and toppings will adhere to the dough.  Even if they aren’t pretty, they’ll still taste delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups water (110° F)
• 2 packages, active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 teaspoons table salt
• 5 1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flower (approximately)
• 12 quality all-beef hot dogs
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 egg yolk plus 1 tablespoon water, lightly beaten
• Sesame seeds, poppy seeds and/or coarse salt for garnish

METHOD:

1. Pour the water into the bowl of an electric stand mixer and sprinkle with the yeast.  Let the mixture stand about five minutes or until foamy, then stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar and the salt. Using the paddle attachment and with the mixer on medium speed, gradually add flour, beating until well-blended and smooth, until you have a stiff dough. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook and knead thoroughly until smooth and elastic in texture. Form the dough into a lump and place it into a lightly greased bowl. Turn the dough over to grease the top. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.
2. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and knead briefly to eliminate any air bubbles and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 12×9 inch rectangle or until it’s about a 1/4-inch thick, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin or the board. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut 12 1-inch pieces of dough.
3. Dry the hot dogs thoroughly. Starting at one end of a hot dog, wrap the dough around overlapping slightly as you make your way to the other end. Place seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining hot dogs and strips of dough. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let stand in a warm place for about 30 to 45 minutes.
4. Preheat the over to 400°. Fill a deep, heavy pot with water and add the baking soda. Bring to a gentle boil. Working 2 to 3 bagels at a time, carefully drop the bagel dogs into the boiling water, turning frequently with a slotted spoon or spatula, for about a minute. Lift out of the water and gently dry each bagel well on a kitchen towel and arrange about 2-inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat with remaining bagel dogs.
5. Brush the bagels with the egg glaze and sprinkle on your garnish of choice. Bake for about 35 minutes or until nicely browned and crusty, turning the pan about halfway through. Serve warm or let cool on a wire rack.
   

Makes 12 Bagel Dogs

With a surplus of homemade English muffins lying around just waiting to go stale, I started to wonder if there was another use for them that I’d yet to consider.  Enter the breakfast sandwich.  Like spicy fried chicken sandwiches, I ate my fair-share of these hand-held wonders growing up.  Today, sadly, I don’t make it down to the old Micky-D’s as often as I once did.  Not as keen on eating battery-farmed eggs and sub-par pork products, I’ve been at a loss in my search for a breakfast sandwich made with good, quality ingredients.  Believe me, I’ve checked.  So, armed with a fresh package of organic American cheese slices, a carton of pasture-raised, organic eggs and some preservative-free Canadian bacon, I set out to recreate a more wholesome version of the iconic breakfast sandwich of my youth.

I’m not much of a sweets guy when it comes to breakfast.  In fact, I’ll pass on the french toast, Belgium waffles and pancakes just about any day of the week.  Instead, this is what I crave.  A warm, lightly toasted English muffin slathered with butter, topped with gooey cheese, salty meat and a perfectly seasoned egg.  It might not be brain-food, but with one of these in your belly, I guarantee you’ll be well-equipped to deal with any of the day’s challenges.  So, if you’re like me and love a great breakfast sandwich but are less than inclined to patronize the local fast-food mega-chain, do what I did and make one for yourself.  I think it goes without saying that they were OUTSTANDING.  I’d like to think of them as another perfect example of a fast-food favorite cooked with slow food sensibilities.

BREAKFAST SANDWICH

If you’re any kind of fan of the classic Egg McMuffin, odds are you don’t need a recipe to put one of these together.  Cheese, egg and Canadian bacon is a pretty straightforward concept, but if you really want to reproduce a sandwich that is true to the original you are going to have to create one of those unnaturally perfect egg discs.  I played around with a couple of different techniques and eventually settled on cooking the egg in a ring mold set inside of a skillet over low heat.  Another option would be to slowly bake the eggs inside the cups of a silicone muffin mold.  That being said, I also made one using soft-scrambled eggs and another with a soft-centered, over-easy egg that were each outstanding, so feel free to break from convention.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 extra-large, organic eggs from pasture raised chickens
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or nonstick cooking spray
  
• 4 English muffins, fork split
• 4 slices organic American cheese
• 4 slices Canadian bacon
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

METHOD:

1. Warm 2 tablespoons of the butter in large, nonstick skillet over low heat.  Rub the inside of a 3-inch ring mold or cookie cutter with some butter or spray liberally with nonstick cooking spray.  Repeat with the remaining molds and set them inside of the skillet to heat up slightly.
2. Carefully crack each of the four eggs into their own small bowls or teacups.  Taking your time, and ensuring that each ring mold is sitting squarely on the base of the skillet, pour the eggs from their cups into the ring molds.  Season the eggs to taste with salt and black pepper.  Now is the time to break the yoke if you want.  Cover the skillet and allow the eggs to gently cook until they have set and are no longer runny, about 8-10 minutes.
   
3. Meanwhile, lightly toast the English muffins and warm the Canadian bacon in another small skillet set over medium heat.
4. When the eggs are cooked, carefully remove the molds from the skillet.  If the eggs do not release on their own from the molds, run a small paring knife along the base of the mold to free any stuck edges.
5. Compose the sandwiches by lightly buttering each half of the English muffins then layer a slice of American cheese, then the egg followed by a slice of the warmed Canadian bacon.  Top with the other half of the muffin and serve immediately.
   

Makes 4 sandwiches

Nooks and crannies.  These three words became my mantra as I set out to bake one of my all-time favorite breakfast staples from scratch.  Afterall, it’s an English muffin’s series of nooks and crannies that really sets it apart from the other breads in the breakfast lineup.  If I was going to replicate anything close to my childhood favorite Thomas’, I was going to have to ensure the development of enough peaks and valleys to adequately support my preferred topping of butter and a little of  my mom’s homemade strawberry jam.

You might be wondering why anyone would set out to make their own English muffins at home when there are perfectly fine specimens available at the supermarket.  To be completely honest, I don’t have a very good answer to that question.  You see, my sister just gave me a copy of the new Momofuku cookbook for my birthday, and while all the recipes looks fantastic, it was the recipe and photo for their signature English muffins that first popped out at me.  As I’ve pointed out in previous posts, I by no means consider myself an expert baker, but it has been in the production of this blog that I’ve developed a renewed sense of adventure in the kitchen.  These days I’m eager to go outside of my comfort zone and share my experiences in the cooking of recipes that I might have shied away from in the past.

It took a couple of days, but the oftentimes finicky process was well worth the effort in the end.  After clumsily navigating the pitfalls involved in working with an extremely delicate dough and the laborious task of religiously flipping the puffy, implant-like balloons of dough as they slowly baked on the cast iron griddle, I found that I was left with a new appreciation for the very makeup of these humble muffins.

So, are they worth making at home?  I’d say yes, if only for the personal satisfaction of watching a pad of butter slowly melt and ooze into all those nooks and crannies of your own creation.

HOMEMADE ENGLISH MUFFINS

From the Momofuku Cookbook, by David Chang and Peter Meehan

If you have a stand mixer, putting together the dough for this recipe is a cinch.  That being said, I found that it is in working with the dough that this recipe presents it’s true challenges.  As author David Chang suggests, leaving the fragile, unbaked muffins on a rimmed baking sheet in the refrigerator overnight aids significantly in the handling of the extremely delicate dough balls.  The secret to an airy, nooks and crannies filled interior is in the slow, methodical griddle-baking process.  I used a cast-iron skillet for this recipe and would definitely advise against using any high-sided pan as this can make flipping the muffins even more challenging than it already is.

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 grams active dry yeast (a little less than the contents of two 1/4-ounce packets)
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• Cornmeal as needed

METHOD:

1. Make the dough: Combine the yeast and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.  Stir until the yeast has been sufficiently dissolved.
2. Warm the buttermilk in a small pan over low heat or microwave until it is just lukewarm and no longer cold from the refrigerator.  Stir the buttermilk into the yeast/water mixture.
3. Add the flour, sugar and kosher salt to the wet ingredients in the bowl, turn the mixer on to medium-low speed and process just until a shaggy, loose dough comes together, about 3 to 4 minutes.
4. With the mixer still running, add the room-temperature butter into the bowl one tablespoon at a time until each is almost fully incorporated.  Knead the dough on medium-low speed for 7-8 minutes, or until it is tacky but no longer sticky and holds it’s shape.  The dough will never fully collect from the side of the bowl, but will begin to slowly climb up the hook attachment.
5. Lightly spray a large mixing bowl with vegetable oil and scrape the dough from the mixer into it.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rest and expand for about 1 hour.
6. After the dough has risen, place the bowl into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour to chill, thus making the dough easier to handle.
7. Shape the muffins: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly scatter on a 1/4-inch thick layer of cornmeal. Set aside.
8. Scatter your work surface with a very fine dusting of flour and lightly flour your hands as well.  Turn the dough out onto the work surface and knead it a few times to deflate it.  Shape it into a fat, smoothish log.
9. Pinch off a clump of dough slightly larger than a golf ball (about 40-50 grams if you have a kitchen scale) and lightly roll the piece of dough into a neat ball, applying as little pressure as possible.  As you shape each ball, transfer the balls of dough, one by one, to the cornmeal-lined baking sheet, then pat it down gently to adhere some of the cornmeal.
10. Grab the ball very gently by it’s sides and flip it over, gently adhering cornmeal to the other side.  Leave about an inch of space between  each future muffin to allow for rise as they may need.  From here you can proceed with the recipe directly or refrigerate the baking sheet, wrapped in plastic wrap for up to three days.
11. Griddle-bake the muffins: Preheat the oven to 250°.  Warm a cast-iron skillet or griddle over very low heat for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle the skillet with a light, even layer of cornmeal.
12. Grab one of the proofed muffins by it’s uncornmealed sides and dust off any excess cornmeal clinging to their tops and bottoms.  Working in batches, transfer the muffins to the griddle.  Griddle-bake the muffins very slowly, allowing a full 4-5 minutes or until their tops are slightly puffed up.  Using an offset spatula, carefully flip each muffin and allow to griddle-bake on their other side for another 4-5 minutes.  You should notice the muffins beginning to form a noticeable skin.  Flip them again and cook for another 5-6 minutes and then flip them again.  This may seem tedious and unnecessary, but this process aids in the development of a light-as-air interior.  At this point you can slightly bump up the heat and gently toast their tops and bottoms, flipping every 2-3 minutes or until they are patchy brown and uniformly golden.
13. Place the muffins on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them in the oven for 10-12 minutes to finish cooking.   Remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet until cooled to room temperature.
14. To Serve: Using a fork, puncture an equator of tiny holes around the middle of each muffin and then pry apart the two halves.
    

Makes between 1 and 2 dozen depending on size

Before I even knew what dim sum was, I was a fan of the pork bun.  Each week, after visiting clients near Clement Street in San Francisco, my Dad would arrive home with a bright pink box, packed tightly with a half a dozen of these delicious stuffed buns.  Salty, sweet and intensely savory, these hand-held delights quickly became a favorite snack of mine growing up; pop one in the microwave for about a minute, and I was ready to go.

These days, I treat pork buns with a bit more reverence, carefully wrapping them in foil before placing them in a warm toaster-oven so as not to disturb their delicate, fluffy texture.  As with most of the food I love, I’m a bit fanatical when it comes to finding the best specimen available, and living in the Bay Area, there are plenty of options to choose from.  That being said, there is something especially gratifying about baking and eating your own.  The best part? Using all-natural pork and skipping the red dye #40.

BAKED BARBECUE PORK BUNS

Adapted from The Dim Sum Book: Classic Recipes from the Chinese Teahouse, Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

This is a fairly labor intensive recipe which is best made over the course of a couple of days.  If you can, roast the pork and make the filling one day, then prepare the dough and bake the buns the next.  You won’t need all of the char siu pork for the bun filling, but it keeps for a month in the freezer and also makes for a delicious filling in Vietnamese bahn mi sandwiches.  Assembling the buns can be tricky and is definitely a task that requires patience and a bit of practice for good looking results.  Author Eileen Yin-Fei Lo recommends starting out by only filling the buns with 1 teaspoon of the pork mixture until you have the stuffing and pinching technique down.

CHAR SIU PORK

Ingredients:

• 2 – 2 1/2 pounds lean pork butt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon blended whiskey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 small cake, wet preserved bean curd from a jar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder

Method:

1. Cut the pork into 1-inch thick strips.  Using a small knife, pierce the meat repeatedly at 1/2-inch intervals to help tenderize it.
2. Combine all of the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to dissolve the bean curd and honey.  Place sliced and tenderized pork into a large, resealable plastic bag and pour the mixture over the top.  Seal the bag and massage the marinade into the meat, making sure to coat each piece well.  Refrigerate the pork for at least 4 hours, or as long as overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to broil.  Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil and place the pork, along with it’s marinade, in a single layer along the bottom.
4. Place the roasting pan on the center rack of the oven and roast for 30 to 50 minutes, turning and basting the meat every 5 minutes, until fully cooked.  If the sauce begins to dry out, add water to the pan.  To check for doneness, place an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of one of the pieces of pork.  It should register 160°.
5. Allow the meat to cool and refrigerate it until you are ready to use it.

BUN FILLING:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup onion, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cup char siu pork , cut into 1/2 inch, thinly sliced pieces
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 3 teaspoons white wine
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 3 teaspoons dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoons ketchup
• 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• Pinch of white pepper
• 4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 5 ounces chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method:

1. In a small bowl, whisk to combine the oyster sauce, dark soy, ketchup, sugar, white pepper, cornstarch and chicken stock.  Set aside.
2. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat for 30-4o seconds.  Add peanut oil and heat until shimmering and just beginning to smoke slightly.  Add onions, turn the heat to low and cook until the onions are lightly browned, about 8 minutes.
3. Add the sliced pork, raise the heat to high and stir-fry to combine with the onions.  Add white wine to deglaze the pan and mix well.
4. Lower the heat again and add the reserved sauce mixture from the bowl.  Stir until the entire mixture thickens and turns a dark shade of brown, about 5 minutes.  Add sesame oil and mix well.
5. Remove the pork mixture from the skillet and spread on a large plate to allow the mixture to quickly come to room temperature.  Refrigerate uncovered for 4 hours.

BUN DOUGH:

Ingredients:

• 1 package dry yeast
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup hot water (115°)
• 2 cups high-gluten bread flour
• 1/2 egg, beaten
• 5 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water.  Place the bowl in a warm place to allow the yeast to activate, about 30-60 minutes. A brownish foam will have formed on top.
2. Add the flour, egg and lard/shortening and stir continuously with your hand until a dough mass begins to form.
3. Begin to gather the dough in the bowl, and when the mixture becomes cohesive, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface for kneading.
4. Knead the dough for about 15 minutes, picking it up with a scraper and sprinkling the surface with more flour if it begins to stick.
5. When the dough is smooth and elastic, place it in a large mixing bowl and cover with a lightly dampened towel.  Allow the dough to rise in a warm place until it has tripled in size, about 2-3 hours.

ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE BUNS:

1. Cut 12 squares of parchment paper, 3 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches.
2. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead several times.  Roll it out with your hands into a roll about 12 inches long.  Using a knife or a scraper, divide the dough into 12 1-inch pieces.  Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others under a damp kitchen towel.
3. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, then, with fingers, press on the center of the sphere to create a dome and a well.
4. Place 2 teaspoons of filling into the well, hold the bun in one hand, and, with the other, turn the bun while gathering the edges and pinching it closed.  Press firmly to seal.
5. Place the completed bun, sealed-end-down on a square of parchment paper.  Repeat for the other buns.
6. Place all of the completed buns on a cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart to allow for expansion.  Put the buns in a warm place to allow to rise for another 1 hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 350°.  Using a spray bottle, spray each bun lightly with warm water and then brush each with beaten egg.
8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning the pan around halfway through baking to promote even browning.  When the buns are golden brown, remove them from the oven and serve immediately. 
   

The buns can be frozen after baking. To reheat, defrost and bring to room temperature.  Cover with foil and place in a 350° oven for 10 15 minutes or until hot.

Makes 12 buns

I first experienced these biscuits on a visit home for dinner with my parents.  My mom had just come across the recipe in a New York Times article about buttermilk and thought they might make a good addition to the dinner she was preparing.  I’m sure whatever she made that night was delicious, but all I can really remember from that meal were the biscuits.

I’d never seen or tasted homemade biscuits like this before.  Not dry, uniformly textured and crumbly like your standard baking soda biscuit, these buttermilk beauties were large, tender and extremely flaky.  Served warm out of the oven with a quick brushing of melted butter and you have, what is in my opinion, the perfect biscuit.

Delicious slathered with butter and drizzled with honey or jam, these biscuits are also substantial enough to hold up to more serious fillings like ham and pepper jelly or crispy fried chicken and gravy like the guys at Pine State Biscuits do on their famous Reggie.

This is a solid recipe that produced outstanding results the very first time I tried it out — then again, it doesn’t hurt to have your mom to show you the ropes the first time through.

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Recipe from chef, Scott Peacock courtesy of The New York Times

Making your own baking powder by combining fresh cream of tartar and baking soda will produce biscuits with the most lift.  Don’t be afraid of the hot oven temperature either as this will allow the heat to get on the biscuits quickly and sufficiently brown their tops.  When forming the dough, mix in the buttermilk until the mixture just holds together.  The last thing you want to do in this recipe is overwork the dough and ruin the biscuits flaky, buttery texture.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 5 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed lard or unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• 2 cups chilled cultured buttermilk, plus more as needed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

METHOD:

1. Place a rack in the upper-middle position of the oven and preheat to 500°.
2. Make your own baking powder by sifting together the cream of tartar and baking soda.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the salt, baking powder and salt.  Add the lard or butter and quickly work the pieces into the flour with a pastry cutter or the tips of your fingers.  The pieces should be coarsely blended and resemble large peas.
4. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the buttermilk.  Quickly mix the ingredients until the mixture just comes together and forms a shaggy mass.  Add 1-2 more tablespoons of buttermilk if the mixture seems dry.
5. Immediately turn the dough out onto to a generously floured surface and quickly knead the dough about ten times until a ball forms.  Gently flatted the dough and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough out a thickness of 3/4 inch.
6. With a fork that has been dipped in flour, pierce the dough at half inch intervals before using a fluted, 2 1/2 or 3 inch biscuit cutter to stamp out the biscuits.  When you have run out of room to stamp out more biscuits, carefully reform the dough and press out as many as you can.
   
7. Arrange the biscuits  on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until golden, about 10-12 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven a brush the tops with the melted butter.  Serve warm with butter, honey and/or jam.

Makes about 10-12 large biscuits