THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 2, 1995 TAG: 9503300035
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RUTH FANTASIA, ASSISTANT TO THE FOOD EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 132 lines
THE TANGY SCENT of cinnamon between layers of soft dough. The sweetness of honey and caramelized sugar oozing from a rich, buttery bread.
These are great breakfast buns.
Though labor intensive, fresh buns are a scrumptious treat, especially when you wake to them on Easter morning (this year on April 16). And whether you make sticky, cinnamon or cheese buns, the process is the same: Mix, knead, rise, roll, fill, shape and bake. Frosting is optional but so delicious, it's rarely omitted.
Bakery-quality buns, however, aren't the products of culinary luck. They're the fruits of baking techniques rarely divulged in cookbooks.
So, just in time for Easter brunch, we asked area experts to share their bun-baking secrets.
The dough is the foundation of a great bun.
And the same sweet dough recipe is used for cinnamon, cheese and sticky buns.
A good dough is soft but not tough, moist but not dry - an achievement that has less to do with the ingredients, than how you handle them.
``Don't overmix,'' cautions Patrick Reed, chef-instructor at Johnson & Wales culinary university in Norfolk. ``Mix the dough until it just comes together and is slightly elastic. You want to have the butter in the dough in layers,'' he says.
Shirley Corriher, an Atlanta-based food chemist, says two proteins in flour - glutenin and gliadin - ``grab each other'' when they meet water. The gluten holds the air bubbles in the dough, giving it structure.
``If you want a flaky dough, you need to add fat to keep some of those proteins apart,'' she says.
Chef-instructor Reuel J. Smith, Reed's colleague at Johnson & Wales, has a method for making tender, flaky bread. He uses warmed milk to partially melt the butter and margarine. The melted fats keep the proteins apart, while the remaining lumps form layers in the batter.
After you've mixed the dough, knead it for about 10 minutes, Smith and Reed say. But again, don't overwork the dough.
``How many times have you read, `Knead until smooth and elastic' ''? Reed says. ``That's too long.''
Smith uses the phrase ``smooth and satiny,'' instead. When it's ready to rise, the dough feels soft and smooth instead of rubbery.
Yeast important
Yeast forms the carbon dioxide needed to make the bread rise. But the kind of yeast you use is up to you.
``I like the rapid-rise yeast because I can't wait for them to be done,'' Reed says. But regular yeast, which takes about twice as long, works well for people who want to do other things while the dough is rising.
The main consideration isn't how quickly the dough rises, but how much.
``Rising until `double in volume' is too much,'' Reed says of typical cookbook instructions. ``If you let the dough rise all the way, it tends to dry out a little bit.''
Touch the dough gently with a floured finger. If it bounces back, let it rise a little longer, he says. If it's ready, the dough will recede slightly.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down and let it rest for 10 minutes before shaping, which allows the gluten to relax and makes the dough easier to handle.
A good dough is crucial. But the filling puts the sticky in sticky buns, and the ooomph in cinnamon and cheese buns.
``Most people roll out the dough, spread a little margarine and a good-quality cinnamon and let it go at that,'' Smith says. ``But if you want flavor that doesn't sink into the dough and dissolve, use a `smear.' ''
A smear is a paste-like filling that usually includes flour or cornstarch to keep it from being absorbed by the dough. The result is a bun with distinct layers of filling and bread.
Smears can be made in many flavors, but perhaps most common are cinnamon and cream cheese. You can prepare the smear while you're waiting for the dough to rest.
Smith suggests adding fruit to a cheese filling. Or, take a cue from the English, he says, and use pastry cream, a thick egg custard.
When the dough has rested and the smear is made, you're ready to roll. Shape the dough into a rectangle with a rolling pin.
If you want spiral-shaped buns, spread the filling over the dough and roll it into a log.
For cheese buns, cut the rectangle into squares and place the filling in the center. Then, fold two corners over the center like a baby's blanket.
Sticky buns also are made with a smear but without the flour.
The trick to sticky buns, Reed says, is to put them in well-greased cupcake tins ``so none of that good stuff can escape.''
``Then, turn them over while they are still warm and let all the goo drip down over the top.''
Gooey is good, Reed says.
If you've rolled the filling and dough into a log, you can cut it into buns with a knife, or use this trick I learned from my mother:
Place an 8-inch piece of kitchen twine crosswise under the log, where you want to cut. Bring up the ends of the twine and cross them, pulling the twine tightly to squeeze off a piece of dough. This method prevents smashed buns.
If you want large, gourmet-style buns, Smith says, bake them in a high-sided roasting pan. ``Otherwise, the bread will not support itself. It will tend to go sideways and fall over.''
Allow the buns to rise. Then brush them with an egg wash for a nice glazed, shiny coating, Reed says. Bake just until they are lightly browned on top.
Keep 'em fresh
Unless you've made sticky buns, you're not done yet: There are ways to keep buns fresh-tasting and fresh-looking.
Reed, for instance, brushes the buns with butter while they're still hot. ``It will keep them moister longer and is especially useful if you're serving them the next day,'' he says.
A corn syrup or apricot glaze can help prevent drying and give the icing a shine, Smith says.
And that confectioners' sugar frosting you've made for so long? Add a little vegetable oil. It'll give the icing a shine and help keep it from cracking, Smith says.
For a spectacular presentation, Reed suggests frosting the tops of the buns while they are warm and letting some the frosting drip down the sides.
``Go ahead,'' Reed says. ``Go over the edge.''
Ruth Fantasia kitchen-tested the following recipes, from Rueul J. Smith of Johnson & Wales University, Norfolk. ILLUSTRATION: BILL TIERNAN/Staff color photos
The dough is the foundation of a great bun, but the filling is what
defines a breakfast bun's flavor. Even when the gooey filling oozes
from within.
A cream cheese center wrapped in sweet dough makes a rich and
scrumptious Easter morning beginning.
Photo
Honey is essential to some sticky-bun ``smears,'' fillings that
won't sink into dough.
by CNB