Barbecue Baconloaf Buns Recipes

BARBECUE BACONLOAF BUNS

Steps:

• Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; set aside. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings. Add the onion to the skillet; saute until soft, about 8 minutes. Let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the bacon, onion, beef, panko, cheese, eggs, 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce and the parsley in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper and mix with your hands until just combined.
• Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Pat the meat into each muffin cup to just below the top. Spread 1/2 tablespoon barbecue sauce on each. Bake until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool in the pan.
• Meanwhile, butter the buns and toast cut-side down in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sandwich the meatloaves on the buns; top with pickles and serve with extra barbecue sauce.
• Photography by Johnny Miller

BARBECUE PORK BUNS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas. Mix the sugar into the bread mix in a large bowl, then add water as instructed on the pack. Bring the dough together with a wooden spoon, then knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 mins until smooth. Put into a large bowl, cover with oiled cling film then leave in a warm place until doubled in size.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan, then fry the bacon until crisp, about 5 mins. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for 1 min until soft, then tip in the soy, honey and tomato purée and stir well. Can be made up to 3 days ahead.
• Turn out the dough and knead briefly, then pull into 12 even-sized balls. Flatten with your hands, then put a teaspoon-size blob of the filling in the middle. Draw the dough up and pinch it closed like a purse, then turn the bun over and sit it on a large baking sheet. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise for about 30 mins until the dough feels pillowy. Brush with egg and bake for 20 mins until golden. Serve warm with dipping sauce. Can be frozen after second rise for up to 1 month or baked up to a day ahead and re-warmed.

BACON, CHEESE AND CHIVE BUNS

Steps:

• For the dough: Warm the milk and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan over low heat until it is about 100 degrees F (but no more than 110 degrees F). Remove the saucepan from the heat, and sprinkle the yeast over the the liquid. Sprinkle a pinch of the sugar over the top, and set aside without stirring until foamy, about 5 minutes. Then whisk in the butter and egg yolk.
• Whisk together the flour, remaining sugar and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, and stir in the yeast mixture with a wooden spoon until you have a thick and slightly sticky dough. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface, and knead until soft and elastic, about 6 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball.
• Brush the inside of a large bowl with butter. Add the dough ball, turning to coat lightly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, trace a circle the size of the dough ball on the plastic and note the time. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl, and knead briefly to release excess air; re-form it into a ball, and return it to the bowl. Lightly butter a large piece of plastic wrap, and lay it on the dough. Cover the entire bowl tightly with the rest of the plastic, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to let the dough proof.
• For the filling: Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a small bowl, and remove all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet. Return the skillet to medium heat. Whisk the flour into the bacon fat, and cook, whisking, until light brown, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk, and continue whisking until thickened, about 1 minute more. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, add the egg yolk, Cheddar, chives, cooked bacon, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and stir to combine. Let cool completely. (The filling will firm up a bit, but if it's too warm, it will be difficult to form the buns.)
• To fill and form the buns: Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface, and press it flat. Roll it into a 10-by-18-inch rectangle, with a long edge facing you. Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on the side opposite you. Starting from the side facing you, roll the dough up into a tight roll. Lightly brush the 1-inch border with water, and continue rolling to seal the roll. Fold the ends in just a bit, and if any spots look thicker than others, even out the roll with your hands.
• Cut the roll every 1 1/2 inches with a serrated knife, to make 12 buns. Place the buns cut-side down (except for the end pieces) in the prepared pan, spacing them 1 inch apart. Cover the buns loosely with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place to rise until the buns double in size, leaving no gaps in between, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours.
• For the topping: Stir the butter, chives and Parmesan in a small bowl; set aside.
• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake the buns until they're golden brown and the tops spring back when pressed lightly, 25 to 30 minutes. Spread the topping evenly over the buns, and return them to the oven for 5 minutes more. Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes before serving.