Tuesday, December 10, 2013

SPICY PORK BUNS

Ingredients
For the dough
500 gr soft bread flour
3 teaspoons instant dried yeast
200 grams plain yoghurt
120 ml water
120 ml oil
For the filling
300 grams lean pork
1 small onion
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon flour
100 ml bbq sauce
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon oregano
For the glaze
1 medium egg
1 tablespoon olive oil


Preparation
Sift the flour, whisk in the dried yeast and make a little well in the middle. Combine the yoghurt, water and oil, and pour it into the flour. Mixing first with a wooden spoon, then with your hands, knead until you form a dough that doesn't stick to your hands. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead it for an additional 5 minutes, to make it smooth and elastic. Put it in a large bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for an hour, or until doubled in size.
For the filling, take the leanest possible cut of meat you can find, and remove any visible fat from it. Dice it into small cubes and toss it with a tablespoon of olive oil. Mince the onion and garlic. Fry the meat in a non stick skillet for about 10 minutes, or until no longer pink, then add the minced onion and fry for an additional 10 minutes, to make the onion soft (add 1-2 tablespoons of water, if needed). Sprinkle the meat and onion with the spices, add the garlic and flour and mix everything really well. Add your favourite bbq sauce and cook (stirring constantly) for 1-2 minutes more, to thicken up the filling. Set it aside to cool.
Gently knead the risen dough (or a floured surface) and divide it into 8 equal parts. Flatten each part with your palm, put the filling into the centre and close the dough to make a bun. Make sure the seam is tight, or else the filling will leak out during the baking. Put the formed buns (seam side down) in a baking dish (23x30 cm) lined with baking paper and let them rise for another 30 minutes, while the oven is preheating. Just before baking, glaze the buns with and egg beaten with a tablespoon of olive oil and bake them in a preheated oven, at 190˚C (375˚F), for 20-25 minutes, until golden.