These panini buns are perfect for burgers, hot dogs, or any other sandwich where you’re looking for soft, fluffy and delicious bread! Homemade buns may take a little more time than grabbing some from the store, but you’ll be thrilled with the superior results.
Watch the Pasta Grammar video where we make Panini al Latte here:
PANINI AL LATTE RECIPE
Makes: 6-8 buns
Cook Time: 5-6 hours, largely unattended
For this recipe, you will need:
3 cups (350g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 1/4 cups (150g) bread flour
1 1/2 tbsp. (20g) white sugar
1 tsp. (4g, or about half a packet) active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups (300ml) whole milk
1 tsp. (5g) salt
5 tbsp. (70g) unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
1 egg
Sesame seeds (optional)
Thoroughly mix the flours, sugar and yeast together in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add the milk while continuing to mix by hand. Once all of the milk has been added and a rough dough starts to form, add the salt.
Knead the dough in the bowl until the flour and milk are incorporated, then transfer it to a clean work surface (preferably marble, granite or metal). Continue to knead until the dough is quite even, then flatten it into a pancake shape. Press 1/3 of the butter chunks into the dough, fold the pancake in half, and keep kneading until the butter is well-incorporated. Repeat these steps twice to add all of the butter.
As you add more butter, the dough will get quite sticky but be patient! After you have added all the butter, keep kneading until the dough stops sticking to your work surface. Form it into a ball, place it back in the mixing bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours, or until it roughly doubles in size.
Carefully transfer the risen dough onto a lightly-floured work surface. Don’t worry if it sticks to the bowl a bit, just gently pull it out. Form it with your hands into a loaf shape, and cut the dough into 6-8 equal portions. Each should weigh about 100-150g, if you have a scale. If you want to make hot dog buns, we recommend erring on the larger side of that range.
Form each dough portion into a smooth bun by gently pulling and tucking the edges down and underneath the top. For hot dog buns, just do so in an elongated shape. Arrange the shaped buns on a non-stick baking tray with 1-2 inches of space in between. Cover the tray loosely with a clean towel and let the buns rise again for 30 minutes to an hour.
Preheat an oven to 355 degrees F (180 C) and whisk the egg in a bowl. Brush the top surface of the risen buns with the egg wash (if you like, you can sprinkle them with sesame seeds), then bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let the buns cool before making your favorite sandwich or burger.
Buon appetito!