Cheeseburger Stuffed Buns

Add water to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer that is equipped with a hook attachment. Stir in yeast and let it stand for 2 minutes. It should look bubbly and foamy. Add sugar, garlic powder, butter, and oil. Stir for a few seconds to blend. Add flour, a little at a time, beating at low speed at the beginning of each addition and increasing to medium to blend. Scrape bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle in salt. Knead at medium high speed for 10 minutes. If dough does not begin to ball up around the hook after a couple minutes of kneading, add flour (a couple tablespoons at a time). Wait about 30 seconds between additions. Be careful not to add too much. By the end of the 10 minute kneading period, all of the dough will have pulled away from the bowl and balled up around the hook.

Place dough into a large greased bowl. Cover with a greased plastic wrap and place in a warm area such as a sunny window or under a light to proof (rise) for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat a skillet to medium to medium heat. Add half of the oil. When oil is hot add onion. Cook onion, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes or until it turns light caramel in color. Take off heat. Remove 1/2 cup of the onion and set it aside. Cook the remaining onion until it takes on a rich caramel color. Transfer to a separate plate.

Combine ground beef, the 1/2 cup of lightly caramelized onions, and seasoned salt in a bowl. Form into 1 1/4-inch wide meatballs. You should get about 20 meatballs. Using your palm, flatten to 1/4-inch thick nuggets. Add the remaining half of the oil into pan on medium to medium high heat. Cook burgers for about 2 minutes on each side. Place on a paper towel to remove fat (on both sides).

To assemble buns: Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Knead dough a few times with your hands. Pinch off a golf ball size piece and shape into a circle. Place a pinch or about 1/3 of a slice of cheese in the center, followed by 1 pickle, then a burger. Wrap dough around the filling to form a ball. Pinch off edges and smooth out seams. Place it seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Continue forming buns. Again, you should have about 20. Brush the top of each bun with milk. Gently pat a pinch of the reserved onions on top of each bun.

Bake for 11 to 15 minutes or until bread turns golden. Serve with ketchup and mustard. Makes about 20 (2 1/2-inch to 3-inch) buns.

Tip: If buns seem pale after 15 minutes of baking, turn broiler on high (with buns in the middle rack). Broil for about 1 1/2 minutes, keeping a close eye to prevent burning.

This is an adaptation of Peeta’s Stuffed Cheese Buns from Yammie’s Noshery.