European Yeast Buns with filling

Bandeles (Buns)

• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup lard
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp yeast
• 3 cups flour

1. Melt 1/2 cup lard with 2 tsp salt in 1 cup milk.
2. Heat till milk is scalded.
3. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
4. Dissolve 1 tsp. sugar in 1/2 cup water.
5. Sprinkle in 1 tbsp yeast, let stand 10 minutes.
6. Stir down. Add the yeast mixture to the milk mixture.
7. Stir in 3 cups flour.
8. Cover and let rise till doubled.
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
10. Make walnut-sized balls of dough and form flat rounds.
11. Place rounds on non-stick cookie sheet.
12. Add filling to one side of dough, fold other side over and pinch dough edges to seal.
13. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Meat Fillings:

• Chopped bacon and onion: cook, drain fat, cool.
• Chopped cooked ham
• Cooked, drained sausage meat

Fruit Fillings:

• Peeled and sliced apple, tossed with sugar and cinnamon
• Blueberry pie filling

Schtritzlach (Toronto Blueberry Buns)

This recipe is from Susan Sampson's Cooking 101 column in the Toronto Star. She wrote, "The blueberry bun is a signature Jewish food in Toronto."

I remember my mother occasionally walking my sisters and I down to "the Jewish bakery" on Queen St. after mass at St. John's Church on Dundas. We'd get a warm blueberry bun for breakfast, while my father was at choir practise in the church hall. We really liked that the blueberry buns were sprinkled with coarse sugar.

This recipe makes 8 buns.

Filling:

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries or frozen, thawed blueberries
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt

Dough:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 package traditional active dry yeast (2-1/2 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp + 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 egg
• 3 Tbsp shortening, melted, cooled

Topping:

• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp water
• coarse sugar to taste

1. Prepare Filling. Blend 1/4 cup water with 1 Tbsp cornstarch in a small pot. Stir in 1-1/2 cups blueberries, 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, then turn heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. When mixture is thick and jelly-like, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
2. Prepare Yeast. In a large measuring cup, stir together 1/2 cup warm water, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 2-1/2 tsp traditional dry yeast. Let sit until bubbly, about 5 minutes.
3. Prepare Dough. In a large bowl, stir together 3 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tsp salt. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 eggs and 3 Tbsp cooled melted shortening. Then add the egg mixture to the flour mixture alternately with the yeast mixture, stirring and blending with a wooden spoon to form a soft dough.
4. Knead Dough. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead about 2 minutes, just until smooth. Divide dough into 2 balls and cover with clean kitchen towels. Let sit to rise about 45 minutes.
5. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. On lightly floured surface, roll 1 dough ball into a 12 x 10 inch rectangle. Cut crosswise then lengthwise into 4 pieces, each 5 x 6 inches. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in centre of each rectangle. Fold over short edges of each rectangle to form a 3 x 5 inch bun. Pinch edges tightly closed and shape ends to form an oval. Place buns on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover with towel and let rise again 30 minutes.
7. Repeat step 6 with the second dough ball.
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
9. Prepare topping. In a small bowl, lightly beat together egg and water with a fork. Brush top of each bun with the egg mixture. Sprinkle tops of  buns liberally with coarse sugar.
10. Place baking sheets on rack in centre of oven and bake until browned, about 20 minutes, switching position of baking sheets halfway through so all buns bake evenly.
11. When baked, transfer buns to wire racks to cool.
12. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Worstenbroodtjes (Dutch Sausage buns)

Amy's friend Jenna's family is originally from the Netherlands. On their farm near Ottawa, her mom makes Worstenbroodtjes at Christmas time.

The original recipe is for 100 buns, enough for an extended family and the farm workers.

It's here if you want to make that many, but also the quantities to make about 2 dozen.

Original Filling (for 100 buns)

• 8 lbs. minced pork (14 cups)
• 1-3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 3 large eggs
• 10 tsp. nutmeg
• 7 tsp. pepper
• 1-3/4 tsp. chili pepper
• 3-1/4 tsp. salt

Filling for 25 buns:

• 2 lbs. minced pork
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 medium egg
• 2-1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1-1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili pepper
• 3/4 tsp salt

Filling for a dozen buns:

• 1 lb. minced pork
• 3/8 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 medium egg, beaten
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1-1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp chili pepper
• 3/8 tsp salt

Dough for 25 buns

Jenna's mom says if you only want to make a dozen sausage rolls, make this dough recipe for 25 buns and use half the dough to make cinnamon buns for Christmas breakfast.

• 2 cups warm water
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 Tbsp yeast
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 6 cups flour or as much as needed to make dough.