Although popular in Hawaii these buns came from Portuguese immigrants. Thus this sweet bun is also known as Portuguese buns. Perfect for the holiday table or any day! They have a fair amount of sweetness, but its worth it!
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk (I use 2%)
1/4 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
4-6 cups bread flour, divided
4 1/2 tsp instant yeast
3 eggs, large
butter, for crust
Instructions
1. Heat butter, milk, and water to 125F. Pour over sugar and salt mixture in mixing bowl of heavy duty mixer like a KitchenAid. Give it a quick stir to melt.
Now add 2 cups flour and yeast to the bowl and mix with the paddle until smooth. It has a cake-batter like consistency. It shouldn't be too lumpy.
2. Now beat in one at a time: eggs. Mix well after each addition.
3. Now add 1/2 cup at time of flour (3 cups). As you blend in (with paddle) you are looking for a soft, pillowy consistency. Now with the dough hook, set the mixer to level 2 and let it 'knead' your dough for 5 minutes. You want the dough to cling towards the center. It is a stickyish dough but it will become a mass.
4. Add another 1/2-1 cup flour. After a minute or two of kneading on setting 2 check the dough. You want it tight and smooth. You will likely need to move the dough around a bit. Remove dough and place in a plastic-wrap covered greased bowl.
Let the dough rise in a moderately warm place in your home. This dough needs a good 4 hours. (Sugar slows the rise.) It should be very puffy and light. Using the finger poke test you can see if it has risen enough. (Poke firmly and if the indent remains you are ready for shaping.)
5. Remove dough and punch down all the air that has accumulated. Now cut into a size that gives you a reasonable bun. I do anywhere from 2 1/2 to 3 oz. Place in greased pans, rectangular and round work well. Place buns slightly apart from each other.
6. Preheat oven to 350F while the buns finish their second rise. When they are well-risen they will be touching each other. Do the poke test again.(just in a small corner-the indent should stay). Depending on location the second rise could complete as early as 20 minutes.
7. Now place in the middle rack and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes and remove from the pans and place on a rack.
If you desire, you may melt butter on top of the buns. Let sit 20 minutes for the bread to fully set and eat up! Enjoy!
Susie's Tips and Tricks
You can use all-purpose flour; but it will produce a lesser rise. Still delicious!
Dough with high sugar takes longer to rise.
If you use regular yeast, the temperature of liquids should be 110F. Also it will take a bit longer to rise. It isn't necessary to proof regular yeast, if it is fresh. (check the date).
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