Bruine Bollen (Brown Bread Buns)

Makes 8-10 buns. 'Maanzaad' is poppy seeds in Dutch, I just keep forgetting the English name.

Grab a big bowl and pop the butter in there if it's still hard and cold, give it a whirl in the microwave to make it soft. It's fine if it melts.
Add everything together and mix until a rough ball of dough forms.
Knead for 15 minutes or until an elastic dough forms.
Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
Divide the dough into 8-10 pieces and form them into balls (same way you'd prepare bread for a rise). Put those on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Try to keep a bit of distance between them, as they will get bigger as they rise, but don't worry too much about it. It's fine if they end up touching as they rise.
Preheat oven to 200 °C
Strike the buns with a bit of milk, eggwash, or water, then sprinkle your seeds onto them.
Bake for 15 minutes.

You can also leave out the milk and bake these with just water, it'll taste fine.
You should probably proof your yeast before you start, meaning you mix it with the warm water and sugar, let it sit for about 15 minutes, and see if it starts to foam. If it doesn't, your yeast is dead. I never proof my yeast but that's a bad habit and yes it's led to failed bread.
The reason you form bread dough into balls the way you do (by folding/pulling the dough so that the top is round and taut) is because it helps the bread rise evenly.
If your buns have gone a bit stale, pop them back into the oven at 180 °C for about 5 minutes. They'll be nice and warm again!