BUTTER BUNS Granny
4 cups very warm water in a large bowl or crock
6 tablespoons butter – cut butter in pats to soften easier
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
One soup spoon yeast or two packets
8 1/2 cups flour (another cup on the table for kneading)
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Put butter, sugar, and salt into the bowl of very warm water.
The reason it’s very warm is so it will dissolve the sugar and salt, and soften the butter and keep the bowl warm.
Stir that up a little, then add about 4 cups of flour to make a soft batter. Beat that up real good. I use a wire whisk.
I beat it kind of a long time until it’s really smooth.
Now add the dry yeast, just sprinkle it over top of batter and beat real good again. (All that work keeps you young and strong.)
That batter is called “the sponge”. “Batter” is cake.
NOTE: I like to put about 2 big fistfuls of wheat bran
in the sponge. “They” say bran is good for
what ails you-is that a “cure all”? Many a long
year ago, we called that “ship stuff”, and put
a couple of big scoops in the hog feed.
Let the sponge rise awhile. Now go wash the whisk, and get a good strong serving spoon. The reason I use a silver spoon, and not wood, is because a wooden spoon has too much “drag” and makes mixing harder.
(I don’t want to get too young and strong!)
Now add the rest of the flour – three or four more cups.
Put in 3 cups and see if it’s stiff enough to “work “.
If not, add just a little more flour – don’t make it too stiff – the bread will be crumbly – OK, but dryish.
Now that the dough is firm enough, turn it out on a floured work table. The kitchen counter is too high for me to knead it well enough. Use plenty of flour on the table, but not mounds of it. Knead the dough – we say “work the dough”,
Use plenty of flour on the table, but not mounds of it. Knead the dough – we say “work the dough”, 50 or more times, turning it end for end as it seals the edges, (kind of).
Put about 1 tablespoon of oil in the bowl you used, round up the dough a little, put it in, turn it over, oiled side up. Cover with plastic wrap, then a dish towel. Let rise about an hour, until double.
Turn it out on table again and work it down just a few times.
If it’s bubbly and pops and pops, it’s good bread, the old ladies say.
Let rise again. It will go up faster this time – watch for it.
This will make 4 dozen Butter Buns, or 2 dozen and 2 loaves, or four loaves of bread. Loaves are nice for French toast later.
Let buns rise until double, about 20 or 30 minutes.
Bake Butter Buns at 400° about 10 minutes or until the color you like. Bake loaves at 400° for 10 minutes, then 325° for
40 minutes.
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Did You Know…
“Tim Price named Butter Buns when he was 3 or 4 years old – ever so many years ago. He really liked my flat rolls, and wanted butter on them. They’ve been called “Butter Buns” ever since. Way to go, Tim! – Granny
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