Parker House Sea Salt Buns

Ingredients:

• 1 and 3/4 cups whole milk, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 packet (7 g) active dry yeast (2 and 1/4 tsp)
• 275g unsalted butter (165g softened, 110g melted)
• 6.5 cups premium flour
• 2 teaspoons fine salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Vegetable oil for greasing
• Sea salt flakes, for sprinkling

Preparation:

1. Heat 0.5 cups of milk to 40°C (it should be lukewarm). Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle with sugar and yeast, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the softened butter, half the flour, the remaining milk, and the fine salt; mix on medium speed with the dough hook attachment until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the egg and mix, then add the remaining flour and milk; mix on medium-high speed until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes (it will still be sticky).
3. Lightly oil a large bowl and add the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
4. Lightly grease two 12-cup muffin tins with melted butter. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Punch down the dough. Tear off about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball, then place it on the prepared baking sheet; repeat with the remaining dough.
5. Dip the dough balls into the remaining melted butter, letting any excess drip back into the bowl, and place 3 balls into each cavity of the prepared pan to form clover-shaped buns.
6. Cover the molds loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate to rise for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Cover with the remaining melted butter and refrigerate.
7. Position oven racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat to 190°C (375°F). Remove the pans with the dough from the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
8. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake, rotating pans halfway through, until buns are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
9. Melt the remaining butter and brush the hot buns with it while they're still in the pans. Serve for dinner.
   
   

   Freezing recommendation

   
   Let the buns cool completely, then freeze in tightly sealed bags for up to 1 week. To reheat, place the buns on a baking sheet, cover with foil, and bake at 375°F (190°C) until heated through, 25 minutes. Brush with melted butter.