Friday, October 25, 2013

Spicy Italian Infinity (symbol: ∞) Buns with Shaping Pictorial




Spicy Italian Infinity Buns

Hi friends, I hope you're enjoying the cooler weather of Fall.  I guess Southern California is kind of messed up.  We still get low 80s temperature during the days, along with slightly chilly and foggy mornings.  I love the cooler breeze that made me crave for some heartier food, such as these Spicy Italian Infinity (symbol: ) Buns.

Spicy Italian Infinity Buns

Why "infinity" shape? Because that way, the filling ingredients are distributed evenly throughout the buns.  Plus, you can see the gorgeous “fillings” on the buns even before you bite into one.  I love them on a pretty spicy level, but you can put less red pepper flakes for milder spiciness to suit your own taste.


Spicy Italian Infinity Buns

What made them Italian?  Of course the ingredients of the fillings.  I added my homemade pesto, sun dried tomato, and mozzarella cheese.  They made the best texture and flavor combination for these buns.  Want to see how I made them, please check out the shaping pictorial below.


Spicy Italian Infinity Buns


After the dough is kneaded and proofed, here's how you shape them.

1) On a lightly floured board, work with one portion of dough at a time.

2) Gently knead the dough a few times. Form it into a smooth round ball.

3) With a floured rolling pin, roll each portion of dough into an 3 by 6-inch rectangle.

4) With a spoon, spread a tablespoon of pesto on the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around.

5-6) Sprinkle sun dried tomato evenly on the pesto, followed by red pepper flakes.



Pictorial A

7) Evenly sprinkle the cheese as well.

8) Starting with the long edge, roll the dough up into a log and leave the seam-side down.

9) Using a small kitchen shears, starting 1/2-inch from one end, cut the log lengthwise down the middle, about 1/2-inch deep to within 1/2-inch of the other end.

10) This is how the filled dough looks after cutting.

11) Keeping the cut side up and form an "S"/infinity shape.  Gently tuck both ends under the center of the "S" to form a figure 8. Pinch the ends together to seal. 

12) Place the filled dough on the silpat, cover and let rise in a warm place for another 50 to 60 minutes, or until doubled in size before baking.


Pictorial B

Pretty easy, isn't it?  These infinity buns certainly look more complicated than they are.  :)  I hope you enjoy today's recipe and pictorial.  Stay tuned for more yummy recipes.


Spicy Italian Infinity Buns





Spicy Italian Infinity Buns: (Printable Recipe)

Tang Zhong 湯種 ingredients:
3/4 cup water
6 tablespoons bread flour
 
Bread Ingredients:
200 grams (about 7 ounces) of Tang Zhong (see recipe below)
3/4 cup of warm milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 tablespoons sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pesto
10 sun dried tomato, cut into small pieces
2 to 3 tablespoons red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like)
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Egg Wash Ingredients:
1 Beaten Egg
1 teaspoon water

To Make the TangZhong:


In a small/medium saucepan, add water and bread flour together.  With a wooden specula, stir until there’s no big lumps.  Turn on the stove to low heat and continue to stir. The dough will start to thicken.  When the dough turns slightly translucent and thicken, remove from heat and let it cool slightly.  Wrap the Tang Zhong up and refrigerate overnight before use.


To Make The Bread:

Take out the Tang Zhong 湯種 from the fridge at least an hour before use (I usually leave it on the countertop until it's room temperature).  In the stand mixer fitted with dough hook, add the warm milk, Tang Zhong 湯種, salt, sugar, butter, bread flour and yeast. Knead on low (please follow instruction on your mixer) for 20 to 30 minutes until dough comes together and pull away from the bowl.

When dough is ready, grease your hands and a clean working surface with cooking spray.  Gently knead it a few times and form into a smooth ball.  Place in a greased bowl, cover with kitchen towel and place in a warm place to proof for 1 hour.  After one hour, take the dough out onto a clean surface.  Gently knead it a few times to deflate it. Divide dough into 10 equal portions and shape them into balls. Leave them in a warm place, covered to rest for 15-20 minutes.

On a lightly floured board, work with one portion of dough at a time.  Gently knead the dough a few times. Form it into a smooth round ball.  With a floured rolling pin, roll each portion of dough into an 3 by 6-inch rectangle.  With a spoon, spread a tablespoon of pesto on the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around.  Sprinkle sun dried tomato evenly on the pesto, followed by red pepper flakes and cheese.

Starting with the long edge, roll the dough up into a log and leave the seam-side down.  Using a small kitchen shears, starting 1/2-inch from one end, cut the log lengthwise down the middle, ,about 1/2-inch deep to within 1/2-inch of the other end.  Keeping the cut side up and form an "S"/infinity shape.  Gently tuck both ends under the center of the "S" to form a figure 8. Pinch the ends together to seal.   Place the filled dough on the silpat, cover and let rise in a warm place for another 50 to 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven 350°F. Prepare the egg wash by beating the egg and a teaspoon of water until well combined.  Gently brush egg wash on top of the buns and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on wiring rack.

45 comments:

  1. Estupenda te ha quedado seguro que deliciosos con maravilloso relleno me llevo la receta,abrazos.

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  2. Hi Amy , I wish I could get one off the screen , so please eat one for me , thanks for sharing :).

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  3. Amy: What gorgeous spicy buns...Do you make delivery?

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  4. These photos are gorgeous! I am definitely ready for lunch, now! :) Hugs, T. http://tickledpinkwoman.blogspot.com

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  5. What delicious looking bungs... love the shape!!

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  6. I cannot wait to try these..perfect tutorial..so often I am at a loss in reading just the words:-)
    Must be my French..this makes every thing so easy looking.
    Thank you.
    Pinning of course:-)

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  7. How do you store the bread? How many days can you keep them? I would love to make them, but it will take the two of us some times to finish. Thanks, Amy!

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    1. Thank you for your question. :) I usually store these buns individually wrapped with plastic wrap, in an air tight container in the refrigerator (because there are cheese in them). They can last for a week (that is, if you don't finish by then). Or, you can store them same way in the freezer and they will last much longer. You can un-wrap them and reheat in microwave for 15 to 25 seconds and they will be soft and fluffy as freshly baked because of the TangZhong. Otherwise, you can also re-heat in toaster oven at 350 degree F for 5 to 8 minutes or until warmed up. Hope it helps. I hope you'll like these buns if you make them. :)

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  8. Hi Amy, nice looking and cute bun. Thanks for sharing the step by step pictures and recipe. This bun sure taste good with a cup of hot coffee. :))

    Have a lovely weekend.

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  9. I had never heard of these buns. I really hope I could try this recipe out one day. But I doubt they'd look as perfect as yours do!

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  10. Love those pesto buns, Amy, and the shape is adorable. Thank you for sharing the tutorial.
    Have a wonderful weekend!
    Angie

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  11. These look to die for and can’t wait to try them.

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  12. Wish I could get my hands on one of your awesome buns. They look beautiful indeed and thanks for showing the step by step instructions on shaping them.

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  13. Love the beautiful shape of your buns and the fillings look good too :)

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  14. Such lovely shaped buns and yummy filling

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  15. Wow, today is only low 60s in Buenos Aires… it can be chilly in the mornings. The weather in southern Cali sounds lovely though…and don’t mind the foggy mornings, great for bridge & landscape shots. The buns remind me of stuffed focaccia :) or Chinese green onion buns :) Have a great weekend, Amy!

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  16. Amy, these buns look so tasty! I love the Italian ingredients in them and the red pepper flakes add a nice touch as well.

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  17. Amy these look beautiful and delicious!

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  18. I also love the spicy level, so I am fine with the amount of flakes. Its stunning and fantastic.

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  19. I love how you say, now that was easy... yes I think it looks easy only because of your great step by step photos. Lots of great fillings for your italian breads and my boys would love the chili as they like it spicy.

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  20. You are so impressive, Amy. Homemade ice cream, homemade pesto and now this very impressive homemade bread! It does make very smart sense to distribute the yummy fillings evenly. Thank you for sharing the recipe :)

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  21. Oh that looks so delicious! I love the shaping very much:)

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  22. Finally got a chance to catch up on you blog, and this recipe looks delicious! yummy.

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  23. Gosh, these look wonderful! Love the shape. You're right that they look complicated, but your instructions are very clear, and these should be easy to make. Really super recipe - thanks so much.

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  24. Amy, what a cool looking spicy buns. I would have wondered how you shaped em'. A great step by step. I just love any bread and this one with all the spices...ohhhh yum. Pinning and sending it my mom asap..she is such spicy bread lover.

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  25. Amy, these look really good. Like really good. And not hard to make. I love flavors like this!

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  26. hi amy, the shapes of the buns are very pretty..thx for the step on how to shape them. ...italian flavours..mm..they already sound very delicious to me!

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  27. YUM, these look fantastic, I love a savoury bread like this.

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  28. This recipe really requires a heavy duty mixer ya. My dream dream Kitchen Aid. LOL. One day I shall acquire one and make all the breads in the world! But for now, I shall sit here and drool over these pesto filled buns. I can never resist pesto in all shapes and forms.

    ~Jayne (www.tenacioustinkering.com)

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  29. These buns look fantastic Amy! Thank you for the wonderful pictorial, I love your step by step photos:) These would definitely be a huge hit in our house - love all the italian flavors!

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  30. Did you say 80s are cooler...? These are SO special!!

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  31. My daughter came to me yesterday morning insisting I read your recipe. She wants to make these delicious sounding buns this week. They do look fabulous. Thank you for the wonderful step by step directions and pictorial.

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  32. Amy, these are indeed some fun buns! Love those fillings inside. I'm sure they're all gone by now......

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  33. These buns look so tasty. I would be full by eating just one. :)

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  34. They look wonderful, full of deliciousness!

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  35. This is some wonderful bread roll and the fillings are fantastic. Nice tutorial. I'm sure my family will look forward to trying these.

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  36. Amy, these buns look so delicious!! We love them.
    Thank you for the step by step...
    Have a nice week.

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  37. Amy, I think is too late for me to grab these delicious buns :D Thank you for sharing the tutorial :)

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  38. These savory buns are the best! So many great things stuffed into them.

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  39. i am so impressed by these right now!! Nice job!!

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  40. Oh my! I must tell my husband about this recipe. I'm so want them right now!

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  41. Looks incredible Amy! Do you deliver? ;)

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  42. Wow Amy! Wonderfully shaped buns, looks very appetizing!

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