Mini Slider Buns

You know how some things are just better and cuter in miniature form? Burgers are totally one of those things for me. I'm not one to love burgers, but give them to me in a tiny version and I'll eat a plateful! The only annoying thing about making sliders is that it can be hard to find the mini buns you need to make them. Well, look no further, just make your own - they're easy, super cute and way better than store bought. {Hang in there for later this week - I'll post my slider burger patty recipe and the toppings I used when I served these at my friend's cocktail party} Plus, your guests will go crazy for them - so be sure to make lots!!

I found this recipe via a random google search for mini slider buns on a blog called Lauren's Latest. What a great find! She has some awesome recipes on there, so be sure to pop over there and have a look. :)

Mini Slider Buns
Recipe minimally adapted from Lauren's Latest

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs, divided
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• sesame seeds for sprinkling

Method:

1. Stir warm water with yeast and honey. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to proof (about 5-10 minutes or until mixture is foamy).
2. Place butter in microwave safe bowl and melt. Remove from microwave and stir in milk and 1 egg. Stir to incorporate. Pour into bowl of a stand mixer. Pour yeast mixture into bowl of stand mixer and sprinkle with salt and two cups of the flour. Knead with dough hook until all flour has been incorporated. With mixer on low, add remaining one cup of flour gradually (you may not need all of it). Knead on low until dough is smooth and slightly sticky. Place in well oiled bowl, turning dough to coat. Set aside to rise for one hour until doubled in bulk.
3. Punch down dough and form into small balls the size of golf balls. Place on parchment lined baking tray. Cover and let rise another 30-60 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, beat remaining egg with two tablespoons of water. Brush tops of buns and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in 350F oven 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Happy Baking my Friends!

Balsamic Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Wow! I am finally getting another blog post up. Feels like forever! Sorry about that folks. But I'll make up for it with this amazing recipe Balsamic Pulled Pork. Its spectacular. It was supposed to be balsamic honey pulled pork, but funny thing - my "well stocked" pantry did not contain an ounce of honey. HAHA whoops! So, I did without and this recipe was still great. Make it this weeked - you'll love it because its one of those slow cooker recipes where you just throw it all in and walk away (well, until the last hour any way, then it takes a little bit of effort, what with making the sauce and all). But it is honestly worth the little bit of effort. I promise!

Balsamic Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:

• 1 3lb boneless pork shoulder roast
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp each ground cumin and smoked paprika
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup garlic bbq sauce
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 12 fresh buns
• coleslaw and pickles to garnish, if desired

Method:

1. Rub pork roast all over with cumin and smoked paprika. Set aside. Place chopped onion on the bottom of the slow cooker. Place pork roast on top of onion and slowly pour over 1/2 cup of the chicken broth. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours.
2. During the last half hour of cooking, make the sauce. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth, vinegar, ketchup, bbq sauce, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, garlic and pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 25 minutes, or until sauce has thickened slightly. Taste sauce, if sauce is too vinegary, add more chicken stock.
3. Remove pork from slow cooker and shred. Remove juice and onions from the bottom of the slow cooker and place shredded pork back in the slow cooker.  Pour sauce over and stir to combine. Replace lid and cook on low for one hour.
4. Top buns with pulled pork, coleslaw and pickles. Enjoy!

This was unbelievably good! I love pulled pork, but this one was just over the top. I made these potato buns - stay tuned - I will post the recipe soon. :) Also coming up - details and a recipe from my most recent cooking class at Well Seasoned and the Crazy Cooking Challenge. Hope to see you soon!

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Herb Buns

Hi Everyone! Its been a busy, busy week for me. But definitely a good week. :) I received a blog award from a fellow food-blogger this week - the One Lovely Blog Award! How nice is that? Merut of Eating with my Mouth Open gave me the award - check out Merut's blog if you have a minute - its fantastic!

Any way, on to the food! As most of you who follow my blog are aware, I've been on a bread baking kick - so to further that theme, I baked some delicious buns the other week that I've been meaning to blog about. They were delicious and tender and they made the house smell soooo good while they were baking! One tip I would give for making your own bread at home is to use a stand mixer with a dough hook to knead the dough - it works so well - give it a try!

Herb Buns

Recipe from the Joy of Cooking

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp warm water
• 1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm milk
• 5 tbsp butter, melted
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp celery seeds
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 1 tsp dried dill or dill seeds

Method:

1. Combine the water and yeast in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the milk, butter, sugar, egg, salt and herbs to the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed for 1 minute. Gradually stir in 2 cups of the flour until combined. Gradually add 1 1/2-2 cups more flour until the dough it moist and sticky. Knead for about 10 minutes with the dough hook on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Trasfer the dough to an oiled bowl and turn it once to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Form the dough into buns and place in the baking dish with the seam side of the bun faced down. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 -1/2 hours. Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake until the tops of the buns are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove the buns from the pan to a rack to let cool completely.
   

This is definitely a keeper recipe! They also had a few other combinations of herbs to try - so once you've tried this one, feel free to try out these combinations:

1. 1/2 tsp marjoram or basil, 1/4 tsp dried thyme, 1 tbsp chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp oregano
2. 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp dried savory crumbled, 1 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
3. 1 tsp grated or ground nutmeg or ground cloves, 1 tsp dried rosemary crumbled, 1 tsp dried dill, 1 tbsp chopped sage

Or if fresh herbs are availabl, mince them up and triple the amounts suggested for the dried herbs! So go ahead - get creative and enjoy these buns!

Happy Baking my Friends!