Mix together the warm water, sugar and yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes or until the yeast starts to foam on top.
13 oz Water Water, 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar, 2½ teaspoon Quick Rise Instant Yeast
Place the flour and the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn the mixer on low and mix the flour and salt together.
4 cups All Purpose Flour, 2 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
Pour the melted (cooled) butter and the yeast mixture, into the bowl of the mixer, while it is running on low.
2 tablespoon Butter
Mix on medium-high speed. Add an extra tablespoon of flour at a time if necessary, so the dough is smooth and tacky but not sticky.
Shape the Dough
Place the dough on a food scale to obtain its total weight. Divide that number by 16. Divide the dough by that number to obtain 16 equal balls of dough. If you do not have a scale, cut the ball of dough in 4 equal pieces, and each quarter in 4 to get 16 pieces.
Shape the 16 pieces of dough into balls. Create a smooth surface of dough for the top of the ball. Gather the dough and pinch it together at the bottom to create a smooth ball.
Gather the balls of dough on a tray or on the counter. Cover them with plastic wrap. Let them rest for proof for 20-30 minutes so the dough can proof until almost doubled.
While the dough is proofing prepare the egg wash by mixing together the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water. Have a silicone brush at the ready.
1 piece Egg Yolk, 1 tablespoon Water
6. Preheat your oven to 450F, 425F if using a convection oven. Line a 9"x13" baking tray with parchment paper. If you have 2 baking trays, it will prevent the buns from touching as they bake, but it will still work either way.
Bake the Buns
Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Once the water is boiling, turn down the heat to simmer. Sprinkle ½ cup of baking soda SLOWLY into the simmering water. Let the bubbles simmer out.
8 cups Water, ½ cup Baking Soda
Carefully place 4-5 rolls into the simmering water. Blanch for 20 seconds before turning them over for another 20 seconds.
Remove them from the soda water. Place them onto the prepared baking tray. Make sure they are evenly spaced and that the seems are at the bottom. Brush the buns with egg wash.
Use a sharp serrated knife to cut a cross on top of each bun, each being 2 inches long and ⅛ inch deep. Sprinkle each bun with the coarse salt.
1 tablespoon Coarse Sea Salt
Bake in the preheated 450F oven for 8 minutes. Turn the tray around and bake for another 3 minutes. Make sure that most of the buns are baked to a nice brown color, all the way down the sides. (Some of the inside buns might now brown all the way down the sides if they were placed too close together.)
Remove the buns from the oven and transfer the buns to a cooling rack. Let them cool down for 10-15 minutes before using them.