Garlic Buns

Garlic Buns

If you read my previous post, you might be wondering: why did I have garlic butter on hand anyway?

Here’s why.

These are even better than I thought they would be. I made 3 batches of these when I went home for the holidays, and they all disappeared quickly. What I like about this recipe is that I made it up based on a basic white sandwich bread recipe. You’ll  notice there are no specific measurements because you can adjust it to your liking, depending on how garlicky or crusty you want the bread to be.

Inspired by Happy Home Baking’s Garlic Buns, and
built upon King Arthur Flour’s Classic Sandwich Bread

Ingredients

Dough

– 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
– 1 cup warm liquid: milk and/or water (more milk makes the buns softer and tender, more water makes them more crusty)
– 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
– 2 tbsp sugar
– 1 1/4 tsp salt
– 2 tsp instant yeast, or 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
– 1/2 tsp dried basil
– 1/2 tsp dried oregano

Egg Wash

– 1 egg, lightly beaten

Filling

– approx. 2 tbsp butter at room temperature
– 2-4 cloves of garlic, minced (depending on how much garlic flavour you prefer)
– 1 tsp dried parsley

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm liquid along with the sugar, and allow to proof at room temperature until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add the flour, oil, salt and herbs to the bowl, and stir until the dough begins to come together and leaves the sides of the bowl. Adjust the consistency as need: if the dough feels too dry, add a little bit of water, stir and check again; if the dough feels too wet, add a little bit of flour, stir and check again.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and knead until it becomes smooth and supple, around 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and allow the dough to rise till approximately doubled, about 60 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface (I used a cutting board) and divide into the number of portions you want – I’ve shaped this amount of dough into 6 (big), 8 (medium-sized) and 12 (small) buns, all with good results. Shape each portion into a ball and let them rest for 5-10 minutes. Then, shape each bun into a oval or torpedo shape*, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let the buns rise until puffy, around 30 minutes.

*I like this shaping tutorial from The Back Home Bakery.

Prepare the filling by mixing the softened butter, minced garlic and parsley. Brush the egg wash on each bun, and using a sharp knife, slit each bun lengthwise and pipe or spoon the filling into the slits.

Slit each bun lengthwise, and pipe the garlic butter filling into each slit.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 12-16 minutes, depending on how large you shaped your buns.

* * *

I’m sending a garlic bun to Happy Homebaker for sharing her baking adventures and inspiring these garlic buns, and a garlic bun to Susan at Wild Yeast for Yeastspotting.

Tags: buns, garlic, herb