Mix & Knead: Add 325 g whole milk, 2 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast, 1 large egg, 30 g granulated sugar, 600 g all-purpose flour, and 2 teaspoons fine sea salt (in that order) to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until the ingredients are combined, then knead until the dough is smooth, less sticky, and holds together. If using a stand mixer, the sides of the bowl should be clean and the dough should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
First Rise: Roughly form into a ball and place into a lightly greased bowl that's at least double the size of the dough. Cover and leave at room temperature until doubled in size (about 1–1.5 hours).
Divide & Shape: Dump the dough out onto a clean counter. Using a bench scraper and a scale, divide the dough into even portions. See the table in the blog post above for suggested portion sizes depending on what kind of buns you want to make! Form the portions into smooth balls for burger or slider buns, or into smooth logs for hot dog buns. See the post above or watch the linked video to see how it's done. Arrange the buns on lined baking sheets. Leave several inches of space between the buns if you don't want them rising or baking into each other like pull-apart buns.
Second Rise: Cover with a damp kitchen towel or plastic baking sheet cover, and leave at room temperature until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes to an hour. Towards the end of the second rise, start preheating the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Brush the tops of the buns with egg wash, and optionally sprinkle on some sesame seeds, poppy seeds, coarse salt, or everything bagel seasoning.
Bake: Bake for 20–25 minutes for burger buns, or 18-20 minutes for hot dog buns. When they're done baking, the buns will be golden brown and feel light. If you have a probe thermometer, you can use it to measure the internal temperature to make absolutely sure the buns are fully baked. You're looking for the middle of a bun to be 190–200˚F (88–93˚C).
Cool: Transfer the buns to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
