G for Guyana ~ Butter - Flaps

Event: BM #44    
Choice of country: The Co-operative Republic of Guyana  
Capital City: Georgetown  
Official Language: English 

I am back with my "global culinary tour" today after that short break I took yesterday. I mentioned this morning casually about my Guyanese post to my husband and he instantly sent me into a panic mode with out even realizing. He just asked me a simple question whether I was doing  French Guiana. He is pretty strong in his geography and so, I immediately had to run to my computer to check whether I had messed up and whether the two countries are indeed one and the same. I had already cooked these butter-flaps long back and wasn't in a mood to recipe hunt again for "G" country today. Turns out that there are two nations on the northern coast of south America called Guyana and Guiana. Guyana was colonized by Netherlands originally and later by Britain up until 1966 when it gained independence. While the other Guiana is also called French Guiana and is an overseas region of France. 

The name "Guyana" is derived from "Guiana", the original name for the region. Guiana formerly included Guyana (British Guiana) Suriname (Dutch Guiana), French Guiana and parts of Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela. "Guiana" comes from an Amerindian word meaning "Land of many waters". Guyana is the only south American country with English  being the official language though majority of the people speak Guyanese creole. 
Coming to food, the Guyanese cuisine reflects the ethnic makeup and the colonial history of the nation. The food is diverse and one can clearly see the dishes from or dishes influenced by African, Creole, East Indian, Portuguese, Amerindian, Chinese and British cooking. Dishes have been adapted by addition of spices and herbs.

I was thinking that I would go with a Greek / German dish for my "G" country until I saw this bread here. Butter-flaps are indigenous to Guyana and this Caribbean bread tastes amazing. I know "liking a particular food" is something subjective but still I feel these are an exception. Butter-flaps have become my new favorite. These are the best rolls I have made yet and if not for this BM, I would have recommended them to Valli when she asked if anyone of us had rolls in mind for the upcoming bread challenge she planned for the month of October. You see I had to get selfish since I didn't want to go hunting another G recipe while I had an amazing recipe already cooked and ready. :) These are called butter-flaps for a reason, the dough doesn't contain butter but the rolls are stuffed with butter. Yes, butter. I usually stay away from such high calorie foods but don't know what got into me that day. Whatever got into me did some good. I got to meet some amazing rolls. :) 

The bottom crust of these rolls is to die for which I somehow forgot to show in pictures. I had made only half a dozen of it not realizing how good they are going to be and they were gone in no time. The butter oozes out during baking and turns the bottom crust crispy while the buns are soft and chewy. These can be served for breakfast or dinner.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm water (110 - 115 F)
1 tbsp sugar 
1.5 tsp dry active yeast
2 cups all purpose flour + extra for work surface
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil / vegetable oil 
1/2 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature (I used unsalted butter.)

Method:
* Combine sugar, yeast and warm water in a bowl. Cover and let it to proof for about 10 minutes in a warm place.

* Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture and the oil. Mix the ingredients until combined. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead the dough for about 3 - 4 minutes. If the mixture turns out sticky, dust the work surface with flour. Grease a bowl and place the dough in the prepared bowl. Turn the dough so that all sides are coated with oil.

* Cover and place in a warm spot for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the dough bulks up. Punch down the dough and knead for a couple of minutes. Shape it into a log and cut into 6 - 8 pieces.

* Shape each piece into a ball. Gently dust the work surface and roll each ball into a disc of about 3 to 3.5 inches in diameter. Take about 1 to 2 tsp of butter and smear the disc, leaving out the edges. One can stuff about a tbsp. or more butter if they wish.

* Fold the disc into half, twice to get a triangle. Press down the edges. Do not seal them. Repeat the steps with all the dough balls. Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil to catch up all the greasy drips and for an easy cleanup later. Place the prepared triangles on the sheet.

* Cover them with a kitchen towel and again leave them in a warm place, for about an hour, for second rise. Below are the butter stuffed dough triangles after the second rise.

* After about 45 minutes is up, preheat the oven to 400 deg F / 200 deg C. 
* Place the sheet in the preheated oven and bake for about 18 - 20 minutes or until the butter-flaps turn golden brown through out (not dark brown). Some of the butter gets released from the dough during baking and this is normal. The butter inside will melt into the dough. 
* As soon as the pans are out from the oven, butter-flaps can be turned upside down so that the melted butter inside trickles down on the top. If desired, brush the butter-flaps with about 2 tbsp. melted butter or use the butter from the baking sheets.
* They can be served cold too but I liked them hot from the oven.


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