This all around bread dough is insanely versatile. Ever since I got this, I’ve stop looking and trying other recipes. Why would I bother when I have a one simple easy bread dough recipe that I can use in almost every bread that I want to make. I’ve used this countless times for both sweet and savory breads and it never failed to impress me every single time. The texture has been consistent regardless how I use it. Small bread, big bread, plain bread, stuff bread etc.

Let me share you the list of breads I’ve made using this bread dough.

• Italian Herb Monkey Pull Apart Bread
• Italian Easter Chocolate Egg Bread
• Ube (Purple Yam) Roll Bread
• Jalapeno Cheese Pull-Apart Bread
• Purple Yam Loaf Bread
• Ube (Purple Yam) Pullapart Bread
• All Around Bread Dough: Dinner Rolls

Now do you believe how versatile it is? It only started with a simple dinner rolls, then I made my purple yam bread collection and used the same dough. Those purple yam bread were seriously addictive, give it a try and you will understand why I am so crazy about them. The cheese bread are equally good, but in a different way since it is a savory bread.

Now come this slider buns. I had been wanting to make this slider buns for ages! I love how cute and small portion these burgers are, not quite bite size but absolutely small the regular size burger buns. You can make it any size that you want, big or small, it’s really up to you. I’ve created a scaled down recipe for a smaller batch just for this slider buns. I always had problem with bigger batch because I leave alone and I don’t eat much and even if I share it with my friends, there’s still too much left. Freezing the bread is an option, but I personaly like my bread freshly baked (if possible), this comes down only to one solution, which is a small batch  recipe.

Why is My Dough too Wet or Too Dry?

Don’t get frustrated if your dough did not turn out immediately as what you see in the photo or video. Most likely It is not because you did not follow the recipe. When it comes to bread making, the amount of flour and liquid is not always 100% precise. This is way often times you will encounter recipes that says, if your dough is dry, add a bit more liquid. If your dough is too wet, add a little bit more flour. This instructions are not meant to confuse you, they are meant to guide you on how to adjust as you work through your dough. The reason for this is that although the measurement of water and flour are specified in the recipe, it still could slightly vary depending on many factors. For instance, all-purpose flour could very from country to country, or even from brand to brand. Don’t be surprise if you find that some brand tends to require a bit more liquid as the others. On top of this, the amount of liquid is also affected by the state of your flour. How old is the flour that you are using? Older flour nearing expiry tends to be drier and this requires more liquid. Bread making requires patience, and practice. Once you learn how to feel the right texture of the dough, everything will be quick and easy. You can instantly tell if you need to add more water or flour o get the dough in right state.

How Do I Know if I Made the Yeast Bread Dough Correctly?

This is not written on the stone, but so far this is how I check if I am on the right track when making yeast dough.

• Activating the Yeast –  This is the first thing that you should get right, otherwise do NOT proceed. After 5 – 10 minutes you should see a foam forms on top of the water, this is an indication that the yeast is alive. If you do not get this, either the yeast is old or the liquid temperature is too hot or cold. The temperature should be 100F, lukewarm but not hot.
• Clean Bowl After Kneading – The sides of the bowl should be clean, while the bottom is slightly sticking to the dough. This means that amount of liquid to the flour is correct. Enough to make a clean bowl and still make a slightly wet dough.
• Soft Dough – Soft dough means the amount of flour to liquid is enough. Too much flour could make the bread dense and heavy, and too much liquid could make it too wet. Both will affect how the bread rise in the rest period. Try to push your fingers in the dough, it should leave a “dimple” on the dough and should gradually disappear.
• Smooth Dough Surface – Again, this is a sign of correct flour to liquid ratio. A “bumpy” surface could mean that the dough is dry and tough.
• Elastic Dough – A soft dough is usually elastic. If your dough is dry and tough, it wouldn’t be as elastic when you pull it apart.
• First Rest Period – The dough should almost double in size. This is a sign that the activation of the yeast work which is crucial to making a soft and fluffy bread. This also means the yeast is alive (not yet expired) and the liquid temperature is correct. I always use baking thermometer to check the temperature of the liquid.
• Second Rest Period – The bread dough should be really puff up and should fill in the gaps between each bread. This is crucial and the final state of the bread before baking. If you are able to make it puff-up, that is a good sign that there are air trapped inside which will make the bread fluffy.

This small bath recipes makes 3-4 mini slider buns, just the right size for slider burgers. They are so cute, a perfect serving portion and still the same easy recipe as the big batch. If you want to make a bigger batch, no worries about that. Check out my All Around Bread Dough: Dinner Rolls recipe measurement. Let’s get started!

Tips for a Successful Soft Homemade Bread

• Liquid Temperature – Yeast grows in temperature between 110 – 115F, so its important to have the water that you are using to “proof” it in this range. If you go lower or higher, the yeast might not proof properly. That means the bread will not rise as much, resulting to a flat and tough bread. 
• Check Yeast Expiry a Date – you might be wondering how come the bread did not rise when you followed exactly the recipe. Well, first thing first, make sure the yeast is not yet expired. Expired yeast is the common reason for flat and dense bread. If your bread did not expand or rise during the rest period, it is most likely that the yeast is not fresh or the water temperature is too hot or cold.
• Amount of Yeast – Just because you want a tall bread doesn’t mean you have to put as much yeast in the mixture. Sometimes adding too much yeast can cause the bread to collapse during the rest period. Just imagine putting more air than what is needed in a balloon, the balloon will explode. The same case with bread. 
• Right Type of Yeast – We’ve discussed the 3 types of yeast above. Make sure to use the right one for your recipe, and make necessary adjustments if you want to swap one from another. 
• Rest Period – Yeast bread needs time to rise. There are bread that uses less yeast but requires more rest time, the likes of No Knead Bread or Artisan Bread which usually require 8- 16 hours rest period to get the volume and to develop the flavor. There are 1 hour bread like my Rosemary Dinner Rolls which used this same bread dough. The point is, give it time to rest, don’t touch it just leave it in a warm place. The first rest period will normally tell you if your dough is good or not. If it rise and almost double in size, then your on the right track.  
• Expiration and Quality of the Flour – The quality of the flour greatly affect the texture of the bread. All-purpose flour could differ from country to country although they are all called as all-purpose flour. Sometimes it depends on the brand too. The closer the flour to expiration date or if it is already expired, the flour could tend to be drier, which means it
• would require more liquid than mentioned in the recipe. This is a common issue of way sometimes the dough tend to be tough and dry. This is why sometimes you have to add few more tablespoon from the suggested flour measurement to get the right texture. The dough should be soft, smooth and elastic. If it is too wet, add a bit more flour until it is no longer to sticky to handle. If it is too dry, a small amount of liquid helps provide moisture to the dough. A clean side of the bowl, with the dough slightly sticking at the bottom, a soft, smooth and elastic dough is what You are aiming for.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
• 3 tablespoon lukewarm Water (110F)
• 3 tablespoon lukewarm Milk (110F)
• 1tablespoon granulated white Sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted Butter –  melted and cooled
• 3/4 teaspoon fast Active Dry Yeast (I used Fleischmann’s brand)
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Egg for brushing (Add 1/2 tsp water to the beaten egg to make egg wash) – optional

Slider Buns: Makes 3 – 4 pieces.

Regular Burger Buns: 2 pieces

For a big batch recipe, please check my All Around Bread Dough: Dinner Rolls

Note: This recipe can be done without a stand mixer. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and using your hand, manually mix and knead the dough in a flat surface. The photo below is a big batch of this recipe.

Instructions:

1. In a stand mixer (using dough hook) or large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar , salt & active yeast. Mix until fully combined.
2. Add milk and water. The liquid temperature should be between 110F – 115F. If you do not have a thermometer, microwave the liquid for 10-15 seconds. If you are using water from the fridge, microwave 15 – 20 seconds. Temperature is important to activate the yeast.
3. Mix and knead the dough until combined (1-2 minutes).
4. Gradually add melted butter, and continue kneading for another 10 minutes until the dough is not sticky anymore.
5. Form into a ball and transfer to a large oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp towel and let rise for 1 hour. (It’s best to let the dough rise in a warmer area of your kitchen).
   • To help the dough rise better, I put it inside the oven which I pre-heated to 110F. Once it reached the 110F, I stopped/canceled it. DO NOT forget to stop it, you only want the oven to warm up for the dough to rise, you do not want to dough to be baked. Some oven has a proofing setting, mine doesn’t, so this is my trick.
6. Take the dough out from the bowl, and manually knead it for 1-2 minutes just to remove the air. Then divide into 4 equal portions. I used a kitchen weighing scale, you can eye-ball it too.
7. Form the dough into a ball and arrange in a pan.
8. Leave for 1 hour in a warm place before baking.
9. Brush with egg wash or milk – optional
10. Bake at pre-heated oven at 350F, for 15 – 20 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.

Makes 4 pieces (about 57 grams each)

Looking for more homemade bread recipes? I got you covered! I have here 10 of my favorite homemade bread recipes, all with Video or MORE bread recipes HERE

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