Ensemada

My mom used to buy these at the commisary and I would have one for breakfast before school, growing up. I got this recipe from from the www.alohaworld.com website, contributor listed as Miulang. According to this recipe,"This a recipe for butter buns, a sweet treat that has no nutritional value at all but tastes good nonetheless. This recipe originally came from the Philippines but has since been adapted to the tastes of Hawaii residents." I can no longer get these and I am determined to try and make some. Prep time does not include rise times. Posted for safe keeping.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 12 rolls

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup evaporated milk
• 1⁄2 cup water
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 4  cups flour, sifted
• 6  egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 2  tablespoons  yeast, dissolved in 1/2 c warm water with 1 T sugar

• Topping

• 1⁄4 butter, softened
•  sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Combine milk and water. Heat on stovetop until just below boiling. Add sugar and butter; stir to melt butter. Place in a large mixing bowl and let cool.
2. Gradually mix in flour and egg yolks, then add yeast/sugar mixture. Mix well. Dough will be soft and sticky. Form into a ball and place in a clean, greased bowl. Cover and let rise 30-45 minutes, until doubled in bulk.
3. Cover 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Spread butter on work surface. Rub some butter on hands to prevent sticking. Divide dough into 2 parts. Throw dough onto work surface about 10 times to firm it up.
5. Divide each portion of dough into 6 balls. Form each ball into a rope, rolling and stretching until about 12" long. Coil each rope onto baking sheet, making a snail-shell shape. Leaving 2-3" between rolls. Let rise 40 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Bake buns 10-15 minutes until light brown.
8. Cool slightly then spread with butter and dust with sugar.
9. SPECIAL NOTE: This batter is extremely sticky and hard to handle. Do not add flour to make the dough more firm, as this will cause you to have hockey pucks instead of light, airy buns!