Big Poufy Buns Recipes

Steps:

• Mix the 1 3/4 cup water, sugar and yeast in a large container and let sit to raise.
• Mix the 3/4 cup sugar, dry milk, salt, oil, flour and hot water.
• Stir both mixtures together and add flour as needed to make dough that is not sticky. (This will be at least 8 cups, maybe more!).
• Kneed for 15 minutes until dough is elastic (this is where the fun family time comes in - let each kid kneed for 5 minutes -- ) Place in a LARGE oiled bowl, cover and place in warm, draft free area to rise. (We always used the large - 32 cup - Tupperware bowl with the lid sealed on. When the lid pops off, it's ready to punch down.).
• Punch down and separate, divide and create!
• Basic baking instructions are to bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Steps:

• Stir together 2 cups flour and the yeast. In a separate bowl, heat milk, water, oil, sugar and salt to lukewarm in microwave. Add all at once to the flour mixture, and beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough, 2 to 3 cups. Mix well. Dust a flat surface with flour, turn dough out onto floured surface, and let rest under bowl for about 10 minutes.
• Shape dough into 12 slightly flat balls, and place on greased baking sheet to rise until doubled in size.
• Bake in a preheated 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, sugar, salt, lemon extract, eggs and 1 cup flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; gently knead for 2-3 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to greased top. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight., Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide into four portions. Roll one portion into a 9-in. x 6-in. rectangle (refrigerate remaining portions until ready to roll out). Cut into 3-in. squares., In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, milk and vanilla until smooth. Place about 2 teaspoons filling in the center of each square. Moisten corners with water; bring over center of filling and pinch corners tightly in center. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. , Place seam side up 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets; brush with melted butter. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes., Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pans to wire racks. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla and enough milk to achieve desired consistency; spread over warm buns.

Steps:

• Stir together potatoes and boiling water; allow to cool at least 5-10 minutes; meanwhile, sprinkle yeast over warm water; let stand about 5 minutes until foamy.
• Stir together potato mixture, yeast mixture, cottage cheese, sugar, oil, egg, and salt; gradually stir in (KitchenAid stand mixer on low speed #1) flour until a soft dough comes together to form a smooth ball.
• Knead 9-10 minutes (in KitchenAid stand mixer on medium speed #2) until dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky; add more flour, one tablespoon at a time during the kneading process, if necessary to reduce stickiness.
• Place dough into oiled bowl; cover bowl and place in a warm place; allow dough to rise (about 1 1/2 hours) until doubled.
• Punch down dough and knead a few strokes to release air; divide dough into 9 (or 12 portions if you want to end up with not-quite-so-large buns) equal portions; with lightly oiled or floured hands, shape each dough portion into a ball, gently pulling and tucking top surface under until smooth.
• Place formed buns 2 or more inches apart, tucked sides down, on a greased baking sheet; cover and allow buns to rise (about 30-45 minutes) until puffy.
• Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes, or until buns are light golden-brown; remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack.
• NOTE: Makes nine 4 1/2 to 5-inch buns or twelve 3 1/2 to 4-inch buns which, once cooled, may be stored airtight in a plastic bag and refrigerated or frozen if desired.

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the milk, yeast, sugar, and flour with a rubber spatula until the dough starts to come together.
• Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook and mix the dough on medium-high speed for 10 minutes, until smooth.
• Cover the dough with a wet towel and let rest for 1 hour.
• Pull off about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball, then roll out into a log. Fold the outer ends of the log inward to overlap the center, then roll out into a log again. Repeat 2-3 more times, until the dough is very smooth. Roll the dough into a ball again. Press the ball flat, then flip so the less-smooth side is up. Press a chocolate truffle into the center, then wrap the dough around the truffle to seal. Roll into a smooth ball again and place on a small square of parchment paper. Repeat to make 12 total buns, leaving some excess dough for decorating.
• Add a few drops of pink food coloring to another portion of dough and roll out the dough as before, until the color is uniform.
• Pull off a very small portion of dough and add a drop of black food coloring. Knead until the coloring is uniform.
• Use a finger to slightly dampen the outside of a bun. Stick on 2 small dots of black dough for the eyes. Shape a piece of pink dough into a flat disc, then stick on the front of the bun for the nose. Shape 2 more small pieces of pink dough into cone shapes, then stick on top of the bun for the ears. Use the end of a chopstick to poke 2 holes in the snout, then into the center of the ears to make folds. Repeat with the remaining buns.
• Let the buns rest for 30 minutes.
• Fill the bottom of a steamer with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. (If you don't have a steamer, fill a large pot with a bowl at the bottom with water, then place a plate on top of the bowl, making sure the water does not come over the edges of the plate.)
• Add the buns to the steamer, leaving enough space for the buns to expand. Cover the pot and steam the buns for 9-10 minutes, or until the dough is cooked through. Turn off the heat and let the buns rest in the steamer for 5 minutes before serving.
• Enjoy!