Sweet breakfasts
Every weekday at 8am someone (usually Rachael) opens the front door to 25a Warren Street to welcome our first customers of the day. This seemingly simple act is the culmination of our early-morning routine, the last of dozens of acts, all of which are necessary to get our little machine up and running for the day.
It starts with a baker—as all good things do—who comes in at 6am to do the morning bake. This is a very delicate dance of man (or woman) and dough; it requires great skill and experience to know when the dough is proofed, when it is baked, when to sprinkle or brush, how much syrup to use, and how to arrange it all nicely on display. Then a cleaner will arrive. If it is David, he will put some music on; the harsh, violent beats of his favorite song, “Futile Colossus Decapitated,” lend him the energy to give the shop its first clean of the day. Then he puts out the tables and adjusts their feet so they don’t wobble, before heading downstairs to squeeze plenty of oranges to fill our big white jug with juice for breakfast. The girls arrive at 7:30am. Our floor staff is almost always made up of girls. We have tried very hard to introduce boys to the system, but have never managed to get one to stick. (Sarit would insert a note here about multitasking and attention to detail, but I shall not, in the interest of gender equality.) The girls have a lot to do and not long to do it in. They need to stock up the bar, open the till, season the coffee machine, write little signs for the cakes, set the tables inside and out so everything looks inviting, and (most importantly) make coffees for the sleepy chefs arriving for their morning shifts, so that we actually have something to serve come lunchtime. And all this culminates in the quiet gesture of opening our front door with its cracked glass pane.
The first customers trickle in slowly. We don’t know everyone, but we have got to know many, including when they’ll arrive and what they’ll want. Jo comes in shortly before the 8:30am rush. As soon as we see her, we get to work on her regular coffee, and would she like a milk bun today? Chris appears at 8:50am, just as the shop is busiest. Never mind, he will find a table somewhere. A single espresso is brought as soon as he sits down; we make it the moment we see his quiet smile as he comes through the door. Igor and his crowd sit outside, even on the coldest days, smoking cigars and playing with their dogs. And if we haven’t seen Fran by 11am, we get worried: is she ill, or away?
Between 8am and 12 noon the neighborhood comes to us. As people come and go, they become as much a part of our routine as we are of theirs. When our days meet, a little bond is created. They are our customers and we are here to serve, but these people are also a very pleasant part of our lives, as we hope we are of theirs.
Basic bun dough
With this basic dough one can create hundreds of fillings and variations; we’ve included some of our favorites in this chapter.
Here are a few guidelines to working with this dough:
• Allow at least 2 hours to refrigerate it before shaping, as it can be very soft when freshly made. Ideally, if you plan ahead, make the dough the day before, place it in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Try to work it with as little additional flour as you dare. The end product will benefit greatly.
• Work on a cool surface in a cool kitchen, as the dough will soften quickly once out of the fridge.
• Have all your fillings ready before you start on the dough. It also helps if you have your tray lined in advance.
• If you are going to bake after shaping, leave the buns at room temperature to proof. If you are preparing in advance, freeze the unbaked buns as soon as they are shaped (to preserve as much yeast activity as possible when you send it to sleep in the freezer).
• You can shape the buns in the evening, place them on the baking tray and pop them in the fridge to proof slowly overnight and bake first thing in the morning (a good way of making your partner or guests indebted to you for the rest of the day/week/year).
• Filled doughs will keep for up to a week in the freezer but after that they start to deteriorate and lose their plumpness.
• Always freeze unbaked dough uncovered on a tray, then (once frozen) you can transfer to a container or freezer bag or wrap the tray with cling film. When you are ready to bake, thaw overnight in the fridge before taking out to proof in the morning (or if you only sleep 5–6 hours, simply leave them out at room temperature, and when you wake they should be ready to bake).
• Most of the following recipes make 6–9 individual pieces, depending on how big you like your buns. I would advise sticking as closely to my measurements as possible, as I have tested them to give you the best ratio of filling to dough and the correct yield from every recipe. You can of course improvise, but I take no responsibility for the results!
For the dough
70g unsalted butter, diced and at room temperature
20g fresh yeast or 1½ tsp dried yeast
1 egg
30g granulated sugar
80–100g/ml milk
300g bread flour
a pinch of table salt
Place the butter, yeast, egg, sugar and 80g/ml of the milk in a large mixing bowl, then top with the flour and salt. Use the dough attachment on your mixer or your hands to bring it all together to a smooth, shiny dough, adding the remaining 20g/ml of milk if it looks dry. Don’t worry too much if you still have some whole flecks of butter running through the dough; they will make your final bun super-light.
Once the dough has a nice texture to it (after about 2–3 minutes with an electric mixer or 5–6 minutes working by hand), wrap the bowl in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. You can leave it there for up to 12 hours, but not much longer or it will start to double in size.
Egg wash
I always use the same egg wash (unless I specify something else in the recipe) made from a whole egg beaten with a pinch of table salt, which helps break down the structure of the egg and allows you to brush it on evenly. Any left over can be added to scrambled eggs or used in a cake.
