Ingredients
Dough:
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 package Instant Active Dry Yeast
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups flour
.
Boiling Solution:
12 cups water
¾ cup baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten with a splash of water
Instructions
In a small saucepan, heat butter until melted. Add milk and heat through until warm but not hot.
In a large bowl, combine milk, butter, yeast and brown sugar. Stir in salt and 2 cups of flour and mix until well combined. Gradually add the remaining flour until the mixture becomes a dough. Knead dough by hand or using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment until the dough is smooth and elastic- roughly 10-12 minutes. Place dough in a large bowl greased with a bit of oil, lay a damp tea towel over top and let it rise until doubled in size- this should take about an hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large pot, combine boiling solution ingredients and heat to a boil.
Punch dough down and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a log shape. Boil each log for 2 minutes, flipping them over half way through if they seem to just be floating on one side. Using a slotted spatula, remove the boiled buns from the water and place on the parchment lined baking sheet.
Take a sharp knife and gently run a couple diagonal lines across the top of each bun. Brush each bun with egg wash.
Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake for an additional 10 minutes until the buns are evenly browned.
Borrowed from: German Smokies in Fresh Pretzel Buns (portandfin.com)