Combine the warm buttermilk, sugar and honey in the bowl of your electric mixer (I often heat up my bowl with some hot water first), then sprinkle in the yeast and leave it to sit and proof for a few minutes until you can see bubbles form.

When the top of the mix is frothy looking, stir in the melted butter, zest and salt, then switch to a dough hook and add in 2 cups of flour.  Mix on low speed and as the dough comes together, gradually add in the final cup of flour.  I found 3 cups to be a perfect amount in this case, but flour amounts in bread often vary for everyone.  Continue to stir with the dough hook for about 5 minutes until a soft elastic dough forms  -it will still feel sticky.

Place the dough ball into a lightly oiled large bowl, give it a turn to coat it all over and then cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Punch down the dough, weigh it, cut it into 12 equal portions, and then work each piece into a round.  If you’ve never done this before, I recommend watching a video, a roll that doesn’t start round will not end up round either.  And this is definitely a skill that I could still use a great deal of practice with!

Arrange the dough balls about 2 inches apart on a lightly oiled baking sheet (or lined with parchment) and then brush the buns lightly with the melted butter.  Cover and allow to rise for another hour in a warm place.

Preheat the oven to 375 and bake for about 20 minutes until the rolls are golden, then remove them from the pan to cool on a rack.  These are really lovely anytime, but butter is a must!