NerdBaker: Chris' Hot Rolls

I bought Nerd Baker by Christopher Tan over weekend at Kinokuniya. It is one of the best written local baking book that I have read in a long time.  Most importantly recipes look interesting and makes you want to bake them all!

When I read his first recipe, ie Chris' Hot Rolls, I knew I had to make it. He uses a custard kind of roux which I find interesting and different. And I wondered how much softer will it make the bread to be?  I have been using tangzhong roux method and bread already turned out rather soft. As you know in Asia, I like said before, we simply like our bread as soft as possible! Just like how Christopher wrote "Princess-and-the-pea-feather-mattress-soft. Scary soft".  This is so true! That's how we like our bread to be.  

So last night, all set out to make the buns after work.  I have been baking with sourdough (my new pet!) recently and somehow yeasted bread now seems to proof very quickly in comparison. :)  I started cooking the roux at 8pm and mixing the dough and by the time I baked them was at 1130pm..and the buns out of the oven by 12am.   I followed the recipe exactly, the only change was to add more water to get the dough to come together, perhaps due to the evaporation of some water during boiling (because I didn't cover the pot).

And as usual, so late in the night, I have to carry the buns with me to my bedroom to cool, away from the roaming house lizards...just in case!! 

I tasted the bread this morning and they were extremely soft! 

Pillowy, Velvety Soft. 

Exactly like what you want in bread rolls. 

This recipe is definitely a keeper..and will be one of my baking repertoire.