To make the dough: Combine all dough ingredients except for the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed for a minute or two until the flour is all absorbed, then mix on high or medium high speed for about 10 minutes until you have a soft, smooth dough that is close to passing the windowpane test. At this point you can add the softened butter and mix for a few more minutes until all combined. The dough should be smooth, strong, and slightly shiny. Shape it into a ball in the mixing bowl and cover. Let rise until it’s nearly doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.

To shape the buns: Divide dough into 15-24 rolls depending on the size you want. These were each about 100 grams (they were huge lol). For a more standard size, do ~65g each (this will make 24 rolls). Shape each roll. To smooth it out, cup your hands and pull the dough ball towards you to tighten the outer layer & create a smooth, round ball. Place buns on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover & let rise until noticeably puffy, about an hour. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.

Make the egg wash: optional, but adds an extra golden shine on top of your buns. Mix one egg w/ a splash of milk or cream until you have a smooth liquid, then brush over the buns before baking. Now sprinkle with coarse sea salt if you’d like too (highly recommend).

To bake the buns: If you the buns are small, bake for about 16-18 minutes, until golden. For large buns around 100g, you’ll need to bake a little bit longer, for about 25 minutes. Or until the middle of a roll reads 190F on a thermometer.