So, I decided it would be nice to have fresh pastry Christmas morning, and decided to modify a hot cross bun recipe to make more of a cinnamon bun or chelsea roll thing, and I started to mix up the dough, which needs to rise over night.
Except, as perhaps you’ve already realized, today isn’t Christmas Eve it’s the day before Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that until I had added the water to the mixture.
I’m sure these would be nicer if I could bake them Christmas morning. But can I? The recipe calls for a slow overnight rise, followed by a shorter rise before cooking. Can I extend the time by keeping it in the fridge? (freezer?) Or should I just finish the buns tomorrow and serve day-old rolls on Christmas morning?
Here’s the dough recipe:
2.5 cups all purpose flour (315 grams)
2.5 cups bread flour (340 grams)
1/4 teaspoon ground close
1.5 packages active dry yeast (oh look! and I messed this up, too. I only added one package. I doubt that matters, though. And it might help a little.)
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp sugar (82 grams)
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 cup cold water
6 large eggs
22 Tbsp (11 ounces, 31 grams) butter
The first step is to combined all these ingredients but the butter, mix with a dough hook until it’s a smooth dough, add the butter bit by bit (breaking it up with your fingers if need be) until it’s incorporated evenly into the dough, and then kneading until it is smooth and stretchy, and doesn’t break into pieces when you tug it.
That’s how far I’ve gotten.
Advice greatly appreciated, especially if you’ve ever done something like this.
I think you may have to cook them tomarrow. Me and yeast dough are mortal enemies so I am not sure how to slow the proofing. It must be possible, they sell a bunch of yeast rolls from the freezer section.
Yes, you can proof dough for lengthy periods in a cold environment. It often improves the final product. However, you have to reduce the yeast content if you do.
Looks like the chips have fallen in your favour! I agree, you can absolutely hold the dough as long as you need in the fridge. Just get it out in plenty of time to come back to temp before you need to shape it, especially if your house is cold.
As a baker by profession I say go with what nearwildheaven and araminty are saying. Keep that sucker cold and it should do. When you take it out and it reaches room temperature, then you can say that “shorter second rise” has started. I let things rise by putting them in an unheated oven, and putting a pan of warm steamy water in with it.
Thanks everyone. My basement fridge kindly note be cold enough, so I put it in the “big fridge”, aka, the unheated space between the basement door and the bulkhead. The weather forecast is for fridge-like temps (maybe slightly below freezing tonight) so that should keep it quiet.
I’ll take it out early Xmas morning, and finish the rolls, and let y’all know how it comes out.
Well, the brioche came out great. I was unhappy with the buns, because I didn’t feel like the dried fruit and the bread really added much to each other – the whole wasn’t better than the sum of the parts – but each part worked just fine. And they did look pretty on the table.
I’ll try a different bread next year. And I might even start the dough a day early on purpose.
