I don't recommend being like me and baking all summer, however, we don't buy bread from the grocery store, so I bake all year round. Gramma's buns, and sourdough bread are the staples I keep in our home at all times.

I'm Going To Open Source My Little Polish Gramma's Bun Recipe

(If you want the recipe but don't need the photo steps, just scroll down to the bottom of the page.)

In a small bowl combine 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 Tablespoon of yeast, and 1/2 a cup of warm water.

You will leave this yeast/sugar/water mixture for about 10 minutes. While you are waiting start melting 1/2 a cup of either butter, margarine, or lard.

While you are waiting for that to melt, get out a large bowl. Add 3 and 1/2 cups of warm water, 1/2 a cup of sugar, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 Tablespoon of vinegar (I use my own homemade apple cider vinegar).

Add in your melted butter, margarine, or lard.

Your yeast mixture should be nice and frothy now, if not, it means your yeast is inactive. You will have to attain fresher yeast for the buns to rise unfortunately.

Stir it up little darlin'...

Now begin to add, pretty slowly, 9 - 10 cups of flour. I find it depends on the humidity of the day how much flour I need. When it's quite humid I sometimes need closer to 11 cups.

By the 9th or 10th cup you will have dough. Not too sticky, but not too dry, that's why going slow matters. When you've gotten it to the point where it's not sticking to your hands like crazy it's time to put your dough on a lightly floured surface.

Are you ready for your workout? It's kneading time! Knead well until the dough is nice and silky. This usually takes me around 15 minutes. If your dough is sticking to your hands, just sprinkle a bit more flour on the dough and keep kneading, repeat until the dough stops sticking to you.

When you're done, cover with a damp towel, or plastic wrap, and wait until it doubles in size.

BOOM!!

Grease up some baking sheets. This recipe yields approximately 25-35 buns depending on how big or small you want them.

Now's the part where you can get out all the anger and frustration in life that you've been holding in. PUNCH THAT DOUGH DOWN! Show it who's boss!

Pull off pieces and start forming your buns. This takes a bit of practice to get right, well for me it did. After a few tries, you'll get it! My first few batches of buns were pretty warped, but I got it right after about 3 tries.

Now that you have your buns formed and on trays, brush on a little melted butter, or even oil. I don't know if it adds a lot to the taste, but it sure helps keeping the plastic wrap, or damp towel from sticking to your beautiful buns when you cover them again for the second rise.

I forgot to do this one time and deflated my buns when I tried to take their cover off! Ooops!

Cover now for the second rise, allow them to double in size once again.

BOOM BOOM

Heat your oven to 350 degrees F and bake your buns until they are a beautiful golden brown. You may need to bake them at 375 it just depends on how hot your oven is, they're all different.

Voila! Cool on racks and enjoy Gramma Anne's (Formerly Secret ~ Now Open Source) Buns.

Ingredients

• 4 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup + 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 Tablespoon yeast
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon vinegar
• 1/2 Cup melted lard/margarine or butter
• 9-10 Cup Flour

Directions

• In a small bowl combine 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 Tablespoon yeast and 1/2 cup warm water, leave for 10 minutes
• Melt 1/2 cup butter, margarine or lard
• In a large bowl combine remaining warm water, sugar, salt and vinegar
• Add melted butter/margarine/lard
• Add yeast mixture
• Start mixing in flour 1 cup at a time until a moist, but not sticky dough is formed
• Turn out and knead for about 15 minutes, until the dough is silky
• Cover and allow to double
• Once doubled punch down, form buns on greased baking sheets, and brush with oil or melted butter
• Cover and allow to double again
• Heat oven to 350 degrees F
• Bake until golden brown and cool on wire racks

Yeild: 25-35 buns

I know that 25 -35 buns is a LOT, but that's how Gramma Anne bakes, man. What I do is put a bunch in the freezer as soon as they've cooled and pull them out through the week as I need em. Keeps them super fresh and wonderful tasting instead of eating stale buns on day 3. This batch usually lasts our family of 5 about a week (with my husband and kids taking lunch every day). Of course I do bake sourdough bread, and make sourdough biscuits as well through the week.

I will be showing you how to work with sourdough starter, and all the wonderful creations you can make with that soon!

Until next time,

Sending a tonne of Love! Happy Baking!

@LyndsayBowes