SESAME SCALLION BUNS
what i've learned from rising dough
SWEET TEETH
When we lie in bed at night my boyfriend tells me I am too hot, “like a furnace.” He says it’s because my “frequency is too high.” I need to “slow down” or even “stop.”
”To smell the roses?” I mock him.
”That’d be nice.”
”All I can smell is trash and dog shit.”
”More reason to enjoy a flower when you come upon it.”
I live my life in constant motion. Even if I appear at rest, my brain vibrates imperceptibly, out of fear that if I am still for even a moment I will become stuck, like a cockroach on a glue trap waiting to be squished.
In the blur of hurling myself through each day, I gulp down hours upon hours without chewing, thinking only of my next bite. My tastebuds beg me to savor each second as it passes, but all I do is swallow. When my head hits the pillow at night I am happy, though I wonder if the feeling comes from the unadulterated joy of finishing a book, or watching a movie, or baking a cake, or seeing a friend I haven’t in a while, or if it is the product of how much I’ve managed to check off my to-do list.
I worry I’m living as a video game character, the tapestry of who I am made up of trophies and stats and new high scores. As I move through the open world, I contemplate venturing out on a side quest—getting lost, spending time with a flower—but the magnetism of the next boss, benchmark, or save point keeps me on the main path. There is no time for exploration when you live simultaneously in the present and future.
My kitchen is the primary site of my frenetic forward motion. I ping-pong about, beginning a second or third task before I even finish the first. One half of my brain races the other to see whether I can get the cookie dough or the cake batter done first. I sit in front of the oven, staring at the bakes inside, willing them to rise faster—faster! faster!
As his contribution to a recent dinner party, my boyfriend made customized fortune cookies for everyone in attendance. When I opened mine it read, “Success, like dough, must rise. Patience is the secret ingredient.“ As I folded the paper and slipped it into my pocket, I thought about my tendency to over-knead my life, leaving it tough—Dense. Tight.
Perhaps a gentler touch and a bit more stillness will result in a better rise. I think these buns are proof of that.
THE RECIPE
SESAME SCALLION BUNS
makes one 9x13 tray of buns
Ingredients:
For the dough:
4 cups (512g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 tsp (4g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt*
2 1/4 tsp (1 packet/7g) active dry yeast
1 cup (257g) whole milk
2 large (100g) eggs
8 tbsp (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, softened and sliced into tablespoon-sized pieces
For the filling:
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (128g) sesame paste**
1/4 cup (80g) gochujang
1 tbsp (17g) soy sauce
1 tbsp (14g) rice wine vinegar
1 tsp (2g) ground cinnamon
4 cloves (~20g) garlic, finely grated on a microplane
1-inch piece (~8g) fresh ginger, finely grated on a microplane
1 cup (~5 large scallions/11g) scallions, both white and green parts, chopped
For the syrup:
1/4 cup (50g) brown sugar
1/4 cup (61g) water
Chopped scallions, for sprinkling
Toasted sesame seeds, for sprinkling
Directions:
Whisk together your dry ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer***, whisk together your flour, sugar, and salt.
Whisk together your wet ingredients: In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together your milk, yeast and eggs until the eggs are fully incorporated.
Make your dough: Add your milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix on low (and I mean low, like 2-speed on a Kitchenaid). The dough will first be shaggy, but as it mixes it will become smooth, and pull away from the sides of the bowl, 14-17 minutes. This will take time, but do not crank up the mixer speed!
Work in the butter: Once the dough is elastic, you can begin adding in your butter. One at a time, add a piece of the softened butter and let the mixer work it into the dough, once it has been absorbed add the next and continue until all the butter has been mixed in. Continue to mix the dough on low for another 10-12 minutes, until the dough is soft, pillowy, and smooth.
Transfer and rise: Transfer your dough to a large bowl, greased with neutral oil or softened butter. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to rise at least overnight, but ideally for 24 hours.
Make your filling: Once you are ready to bake, stir together your brown sugar, sesame paste, gochujang, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cinnamon, and grated garlic and ginger in a medium-sized bowl until homogenous. It should be a nice spreadable consistency.
Prep your pan: Grease a 9x13 pan with neutral oil or butter, and set aside.
Roll out the dough: Lightly dust a large clean work surface with flour. Remove your dough from the fridge and dump it out onto the surface. The dough should have just about doubled in size, and will now be firm and easy to work with. Using a rolling pin, wine bottle, or whatever you have handy, roll the dough, until it is 18 inches long, and 16 inches wide, occasionally flouring the top and underside of the dough as needed to prevent any sticking.
Fill, spiral, & slice: Using an offset spatula, spread your filling mixture into a thin layer over the entire surface of the dough. Sprinkle your 1 cup of chopped scallions evenly over the filling. Starting with the long side closest to you, roll your dough into a spiral, tucking it tightly as you go to prevent air pockets. Once completely rolled, rest it on the seam, to prevent it from unraveling. Slip a piece of unflavored dental floss or twine under one end of the log and slide to the middle. Fold the floss over the dough and pull each side to slice the log in half. Use this same method to slice each half into thirds, and then each third into halves so you end up with 12, ~1 1/2 inch thick buns. Arrange all 12 buns, spiral side up, in your 9x13 pan so that there is equal space between them to allow ample rising. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place on the top of your oven.
Preheat & rise again: Preheat your oven to 350°. Let your dough rise on top for 35-45 minutes (this could take a bit longer depending on how warm your kitchen is), or until the buns have just about doubled in size and are beginning to touch one another.
Bake: Remove the plastic wrap, and bake your buns for 32-37 minutes, or until they are golden brown and firm. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Make your syrup: While the buns cool, mix your 1/4 cup brown sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium until the mixture is warmed through and the sugar has all dissolved.
Brush, top, and eat: Brush your syrup over the warm buns, and sprinkle over additional chopped scallion and toasted sesame seeds. Eat warm!
Leftovers?: Buns are best eaten right out of the oven, but they will keep for 3-5 days in the fridge. I would heat them gently at 300° in the oven and brush them with leftover sugar syrup to prevent them from drying out.
Notes:
*If you’re using any other type or brand of salt (i.e. Morton, or sea salt), I suggest scaling back by half.
**Not to be confused with tahini! You can find sesame paste in most Asian markets. It will be notably darker as the seeds are toasted deeply beforehand. You could use tahini in its place if you can’t find it, but they won’t have as deep a flavor.
***You may think it is kind of a sin to make the dough in a stand mixer, but I promise on low speed and with a lot of time it comes together beautifully.
They’re delicious, beautiful, and the secret is that they freeze impeccably well too…..