Making bakery products at home always reminds me of the good old days. Today’s mass production just verifies my opinion that (almost) everything was better in the past. The large product assortments of bakeries attract customers like magnet, you can easily get lost in the jungle of bagels, croissants and baguettes (albeit most Hungarians still revolve round the bread rolls – crescent axis).
Many old fashioned breadstuffs, however, have fallen victim to cost effectiveness, there are only a few bakeries (you need a lantern to find them) that spare neither trouble nor pains to keep traditions alive. One of those bakery products that have been long since forgotten is molnárka, which is a kind of bread rolls. Molnárka means soft and sweetish, oval shaped buns, whose dough resembles kalács (sweet bread). These buns go well with Easter ham, but they also make a great sandwich.
photo: zerbo.com
Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 600 g (~4 4/5 cups) flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 egg
- 120 g (~1/2 cup) yogurt
- 200 ml (~4/5 cup) milk
- 100 g (~3 1/2 oz) soft butter
- 30 g fresh yeast (3 tsp dry yeast)
For the topping:
- 1 egg
- sesame seeds
Dissolve yeast with a pinch of sugar in lukewarm milk. Sift the flour in a bowl. Add salt, sugar, egg and cubed soft butter. Pour in activated yeast and jogurt. Knead until smooth and pliable. Cover and leave it to rest until doubled.
On a lightly floured surface divide the dough in 10-12 equal parts. Form balls, then roll them into ovals. Place the buns on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover and let them rise for 30-35 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190°C / 374°F. Brush the top of the buns with beaten egg and scatter sesame seeds over them. Bake them for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the buns on a rack and let them cool completely.
