No. 3081 — Water-Based Buns
English historical translation of Molokhovets recipe No. 3081 from the 1901 Russian cookbook, retaining original methods and measures.
Make a sponge from 4½ glasses warm water, 8 zolotniks dry yeast and 6 glasses flour. Once risen, add 4 teaspoons fine salt and another 6 glasses flour. Beat and knead until the dough comes away from the hands, then let rise again.
Form elongated buns and leave to rise on an iron baking sheet. Brush them with a spoonful of butter, then with boiling water or beer, and bake.
The dough may instead be made much looser and baked in buttered moulds. The source claims this quantity yields at least 6½ pounds of baked buns after cooling, and gives the total flour as 5 pounds (1 garnetz).
Poppy-seed milk may replace the water; the same dough can be used for buns topped with poppy seeds or, instead, caraway seeds. For tea buns, add ¾ glass sugar, first mixed with the butter. Before baking the buns may be slit lengthwise and pricked in three places on the sides with a fork.