Squash-like buns

You have never seen anything like this! Amazing squash-like buns with meat filling.

Let’s give the floor to the chef: “Today I have squash-like buns with meat and pumpkin filling! Oh, how delicious it is! If you think that the dough contains pumpkin, then you’re wrong, as the main dough ingredient is the milk whey! You will just need to add some turmeric and reduce the amount of sugar.”

For the dough (the calculation is for 14 buns):

• 300 ml milk whey | 10.10 fl oz
• 4 g turmeric | 0.15 oz
• 1 egg + 1 egg white | 1.00 item + 1.00 item
• 40-50 g sugar | 1.75 oz
• 4 g salt | 0.15 oz
• 60 g soft butter | 2.10 oz
• 7 g yeast | 0.25 oz
• 600-650 g wheat flour | 22.95 oz
• 20 g vegetable oil | 0.70 oz
• 1 egg yolk + 1 tsp water (for greasing) | 1.00 item + 1.00 tsp

Cooking the dough:

Sift 550-600 g (21.00 oz) of flour, and mix it with the yeast.

Combine the egg, the egg white, sugar, salt and milk whey; mix well, and add the mass to the flour. Start kneading the dough, and keep going for 7 to 10 minutes, adding the remaining flour little by little (it may take a little less). Then, add the butter, and knead for another 5 minutes.

You should get a very tender and slightly sticky dough. Form a dough ball, and grease it and the bowl with vegetable oil; cover the bowl, and let the dough proof.

After 50 to 60 minutes, knead the dough once again; leave it for another 40-50 minutes until it increases 2.5-3 times.

For the filling:

• 30 g butter | 1.05 oz
• 100 g onions (finely chopped) | 3.55 oz
• 400 g minced meat | 14.10 oz
• 100 g water | 3.55 oz
• 400 g peeled pumpkin (coarsely grated) | 14.10 oz
• salt + spices | 0.00 to taste

You will also need: a thin thread, 2 table spoons of vegetable oil, 1 egg yolk, water (for greasing), almonds.

Cooking the filling:

Dissolve the butter in a small frying pan; add the onion, and simmer until golden brown, stirring all the time.

Pour the water into a large saucepan, and add the minced meat; bring it to a boil, stirring and chopping the minced meat pieces as small as possible. Evaporate the moisture.

Then, add the pumpkin and onion to the minced meat, and season it with salt and spices; simmer the mass, stirring, until the pumpkin is ready and the excess moisture evaporates. Cool the finished filling.

Divide the matched dough into 14 parts, and roll them into balls; cover with foil for 5 to 10 minutes. At this time, prepare 14 thread pieces 1 meter (39.4 inch) long, and dip them in the vegetable oil.

Flatten each ball into a flat circle, and put the filling in the middle; connect the edges, and form a ball again. Wrap the ball with thread, forming the segments; don’t tighten the thread tightly!

Put the formed buns in the molds, and let them proof for 30 minutes. Then, grease them with egg yolk and water, and place them in the oven, preheated to 180C (356F).

In 20-25 minutes, as soon as the buns are browned, cover them with the paper, and turn off the top heating; bake for another 10 to 12 minutes.

Cool the finished buns, and remove them from the molds; cut the threads carefully, and pull it out.

Heat the almonds in the microwave; cool them, and stick a piece into each bun.

Bon Appetit!