Instructions

1. Portion 3 parts flour in a mixing bowl and 1 part of warm water in a smaller bowl. Four cups of flour makes 12 to 15 buns.

2. Sprinkle 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast -- for every 3 cups of flour used -- and a pinch of sugar over the water and let it stand for 5 minutes. Pour the water in the flour and mix it with a wooden spoon until the doughy mass starts to come away from the sides of the bowl.

3. Sprinkle the work surface with flour. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and knead it until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

4. Oil the inside of a mixing bowl and set the dough inside it. Cover it with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm place until it triples in size, about 3 hours.

5. Punch the risen dough down. At this point you can store the dough in the refrigerator up to 3 days. To form buns, slice the dough in half and roll each half into a rectangular log about 3 inches wide.

6. Slice each log of dough into 8 pieces of the same width. Roll each piece into a sphere and flatten into a 1/2-inch-thick disk.