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Water Buns

I remember my mom saving potato water for these soft white buns. This recipe has a few steps but once you've got your starter mixed, you are on your way to what I call perfect faspa buns.

Starter after the first rise before stirring down and adding last amount of flour.

Yields 3 dozen buns. Freeze well. 
  • 1 1/2 cup potato water (use the water from boiling potatoes, or just add one potato to water and boil until potato is very soft. You can mash it into the water and use that or remove potato and just us the water) 
  • 1 scant cup white sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup Crisco shortening
  • 1 cup very warm tap water 
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp active dry yeast (not instant)
  • 4 eggs, well beaten
  • 9 cups flour
  1. Place potato water in microwave bowl and heat until very hot. Stir in sugar and salt to dissolve and then butter and shortening. Stir until the butter and shortening are completely melted. Set aside.
  2. Add 1 cup of warm water to a glass bowl and stir in the 1 tsp sugar. Sprinkle with yeast and allow to proof for 8-10 minutes and then stir down.
  3. Meanwhile beat eggs until frothy.
  4. Add all the above to a very LARGE mixing bowl. Beat with electric hand mixer for several minutes. 
  5. Stir in (or use mixer ) 4 cups of the flour.
  6. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit on counter for approximately 1 1/2 hours. This will bubble up creating a sponge like mixture. This mixture will really bubble up during the rising so make sure your bowl is large.
  7. Stir dough batter down. Add in remaining flour 1 cup at a time, stirring until you can't any more and then use your hands to begin the kneading process. 
  8. Knead until you have a soft non sticky dough. Knead at least 10 minutes or more. 
  9. Cover and let sit in a draft free area. Let rise for 1 hour or until double in bulk.
  10. Punch down dough and shape buns. Place on greased or parchment lined baking sheets. Cover with a lint free towel and allow to rise until buns have doubled in size.
  11. Bake in 350ยบ oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove to cooling racks. 

21 comments:

  1. Are there any substitues for potato water, as we don't eat potatoes that much. Those rolls look very delicious!

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    Replies
    1. I usually have a box of potato flakes in my pantry which work great.

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  2. At what point are they good to put in the freezer? The dough or the bus after baking? They look so good! Do you hsape by hand or do you use like a biscuit cutter? I've never made buns before....bread but not buns. Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. These are shaped by hand like any regular yeast dough bun. Once they are baked, cool, bag and freeze.

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  3. what is potato water

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    Replies
    1. Potato water is the water you have left in the pot after boiling potatoes. It's starchy murky looking water. If we have mashed potatoes I'll sometimes save that water I drain, and then bake buns in the next day or two. Keep the potato water in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 4 days. If you have not boiled potatoes for mashed, just add one potato to water and boil. You can mash the potato right into the liquid and use that...then measure out the amount of liquid needed. It will be murky starchy water.

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  4. Do you allow the buns to rise again after shaping? Just making sure...

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for asking. I've added that step into the recipe now. Yes, I do allow the buns to rise on pans before baking.

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  5. Can I use all butter in this recipe instead of the crisco shortening ?

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    Replies
    1. The recipe calls for half butter and half crisco. I've always baked this recipe as it came but it's worth a try. This recipe is slightly different than just mixing up regular yeast buns and I like the original taste so have stuck with it.

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  6. OOO, my gosh. I remember my aunt making these when I was a little girl...soooo good.
    Regarding the CANNED cinnamon rolls on my post.....they don't come CLOSE to your baking !!...No sir ree...they shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as YOUR rolls and etc....BUT...they sure are good to have in the fridge for a
    quick sweet treat. :)
    Thanks for stopping in..:)

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  7. Is the 1 cup sugar a typo? That sounds like an awful lot of sweetness compared to the liquids.

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    Replies
    1. The 1 cup sugar is correct. They are a sweeter than usual bun.

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  8. Thank you for sharing! I can't wait to give this recipe a try :)

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  9. Could this dough be shaped into regular bread loaves?

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    Replies
    1. I'm thinking it may be too 'light' a dough for loaves of bread....but then again why not try shaping and baking one loaf when you make them and see what happens. Good luck!

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  10. Is the sugar granulated or confectioner's sugar, since it says white sugar? I am anxious to try these these rolls.

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  11. Thank you for this wonderful sounding recipe, I've always loved to make bread.

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  12. what purpose does the potato water serve? What happens if you just use water? A friend made these ( not your recipe) and after 3 days they turned into hockey pucks. Any idea why

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    Replies
    1. Maybe because there are no preservatives in home made buns? They need to be frozen in order to keep.

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