Quick, homemade snacks ready in the freezer for a quick reheat are just the thing keep your family fed and happy no matter how hectic the back-to-school schedule gets. The combination of beef and lentils in these filled buns provides high-quality protein in every bite!
Meat Buns
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: Cook Time: 25 minutes Standing Time: 65 minutes Baking Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 75 buns 1x
Ingredients
Filling
½ lb (227 g) mushrooms
1 large onion, quartered
1½ lb (750 g) Extra-Lean or Lean Ground Beef
1 tsp (5 mL) salt and garlic powder
½ cup (125 mL) dry red lentils
¾ to 1 cup (175 to 250 mL) water, divided
2 tbsp (30 mL) dehydrated chopped onion
2 tbsp (30 mL) nutritional yeast
1 tbsp (15 mL) beef bouillon base paste
2 tbsp (30 mL) cornstarch
2 tbsp (30 mL) cold milk
Dough
3¼ cups (810 mL) milk
1 cup (250 mL) oil
2 large eggs
1 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar
2 tsp (10 mL) salt
2 tbsp (30 mL) quick-rising (instant) yeast
8 to 10 cups (2 to 2.5 L) all-purpose flour, divided
Instructions
- Filling: Pulse mushrooms in a food processor until chopped into small, rice-sized pieces. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with onion to finely chop.
- Combine mushrooms, onions, ground beef, salt and garlic powder in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring often and using back of spoon to break up meat into small chunks, for about 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is thoroughly cooked.
- Stir in lentils, ¾ cup (175 mL) of the water, nutritional yeast, bouillon paste, and dehydrated onion. Bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the lentils are soft and blend into the meat. Add more water, a few tablespoons at a time, if needed, to cook the lentils.
- Whisk together cornstarch and milk in a small bowl. Once the lentils are cooked and most of the moisture has evaporate, the mixture should be thick and paste-like, not soupy. You’re looking for a filling that holds its shape on a spoon with no liquid pooling around it. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat.
- Transfer to a shallow container and let cool slightly. Refrigerate to cool completely, while preparing the dough or cover and store in the fridge for up to 1 day. A warm filling will prevent the dough from sealing.
- Dough: Heat milk in a glass measuring cup in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat, until warm to the touch (like bath water), but not hot (around 110°F/43°C).
- Combine oil, eggs, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with a fork by hand until combined. Slowly pour in the heated milk while whisking with the fork.
- Combine 8 cups (2 L) of the flour with yeast in a large bowl, mixing well. Add half to milk mixture. Attach to mixer with the dough hook. Mix on low speed until combined (some lumps are okay). Add remaining yeast-flour mixture, one cup (250 mL) at a time until incorporated. Still mixing on low, gradually add more flour, about 2 tbsp (30 mL) at a time, mixing until you get a dough that’s soft and slightly tacky, but doesn’t stick to your hands. If your mixer struggles or the dough climbs up the hook, finish kneading by hand.
- Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let rise on the counter for about 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size. If your house is cold, you can turn the light on in the oven (with the oven off) and place it inside to rise.
- To assemble the buns: Scoop the meat filling, using a 1-tbsp (15 mL) cookie scoop or measuring spoon onto a large board or baking sheet. You should get about 75 scoops.
- Divide the dough into 75 pieces by weighing about 2 oz (30 g) dough for each, roughly the size of a ping pong ball. (If you don’t have scales, cut the dough in half, then each half into quarters; divide each into 9 or 10 pieces to make about 75 total). Flatten each piece of dough into a 3-inch (8 cm) disc. If the dough is sticky, keep a small amount of flour on a plate. Dab the piece of dough in the flour and flatten. Place a scoop of filling in the centre of the disc and pull the dough up and around filling, pinching together to seal. Place the filled ball, seam side down, on well greased baking sheets, leaving 1 inch (2.5 cm) in between to allow space to rise. Repeat with all of the filling, using as many baking sheets as necessary to fit the buns. (If you end up with extra dough, that’s okay! You can make some regular un-filled buns!)
- Cover baking sheets with a clean, lint-free towel and let rise in a warm spot for about 20 minutes or until the buns are puffy. You’ll know they’re ready when you gently press an indent with your finger and it fills back in slowly instead of quickly.
- Bake, one sheet at a time, in preheated 400°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until they just start to turn a golden brown. Serve warm or let cool completely on cooling racks.
Notes
To store: Place into sealable freezer bags or airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat: Place the buns on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the moisture and microwave, flipping once, until hot in the centre.
Tip: The baking time is listed per baking sheet. Total bake time will depend on how many baking sheets you own and what size they are.
