Kaiser Buns

Kaiser buns or rolls are indeed very nice bread rolls if you like European bread. I have always loved the shape of these bread and especially the dark golden hue on them. I was looking for recipes to make a burger bun for my pulled pork and I suddenly remembered these buns that I saw in the bakeries in Europe. I used to make the softest ever bread for my burgers but not for pulled pork because it has sauce on them and I need substantial harder bread definitely. These Kaiser buns have a good crispy crust and it does not fall apart and lose its shape once any sauce touches it. It gives bite and yet it is not heavy and is actually quite light. It is perfect for my pulled pork burger. I think I would bake these buns for my hamburgers too. I will just leave it whole and round without the knots.
These buns taste great and it is also easy to make. It is probably not the original recipe for Kaiser buns but hey, I don't care, I like it.

This recipe makes about 8 to 9 buns
Ingredients:

380g bread flour (3 cups)
120g whole wheat flour (1 cup) You can substitute it using wholemeal flour
1 tsp instant yeast
18g sugar (1 tbsp)
1 tsp salt
250 ml warm water (1 cup)
15 ml butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
Another egg for egg wash
Sesame seeds for topping the buns

Method:

Put all the bread flour, whole wheat flour, salt, sugar and yeast in the mixer using the dough hook. Mix well.
Now put the beaten egg, butter and warm water and mix until all the dough come together. if it looks dry, add another tablespoon of water. Do not pour in too much, be patient and it should form into a dough.
Continue to mix at medium low speed until a smooth dough is formed.
You can now turn out the dough into a smooth work surface and knead it for about 2 to 3 minutes till it is very smooth.
If you don't have a mixer, you can do all this by hand as well.You just have to knead it for a good 10 to 12 minutes.

After kneading, form a ball and tug in the ends below and place it in a greased big bowl and cover it with a plastic food wrap and leave it in a warm place.to double the size. This should take between 1 to 2 hours depending on which part of the world you are. In my hot and humid country.it took just slightly more than an hour.
Once the dough has risen nice and big, knock out the air in it and bring it out of the bowl and cut the dough into 9 equal pieces in my place as one piece will weigh about 98g.
Cover the rest of the dough with a piece of kitchen towel when you are working each individual bun. For each individual bun, roll it into a long rope then tie it into a knot and one end tug under the bun and the other end pull it over the top and tog the end in securely.

Place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper or a silpat.
Again cover all the knotted buns with a towel or plastic food wrap loosely for 1 hour or so.
Before the hour is up, heat the oven to 220C. Get ready a roasting pan for putting it at the bottom of the oven.
For the egg wash, beat an egg in small bowl. (I do not mix with water for this egg wash)
Boil water for pouring it into the roasting pan for steaming the oven.
When you are happy with the size of the buns, brush the egg wash very gently all over the buns including the sides.
Sprinkle some sesames seeds on the buns if you like.
Put the baking sheet with the risen buns in the middle rack of the oven.
Pour the boiling hot water into the roasting pan.
Bake buns for 20 to 25 minutes depending how brown you want the buns to be.
It should be nice, crispy and deep golden brown.

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