Okay--so I was in a bind the other day. I desperately needed a nice looking bun. Stop with the snickers. I needed a hamburger bun.  At any rate, I did what any normal person does and I stopped at the grocery store. Since it was so late, however, there weren't any good buns left. What to do?  Well, I made my own of course!

I feel serious eye rolling from the audience. I get it. Why would you make your own buns when you can buy perfectly good ones from the store and/or bakery? For starters,  they are damn good. And, while you may not believe it, they are easy to make with a few simple ingredients.

Homemade Buns

They may not be easier than the ones from the bakery...but they are so good!

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 envelope yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
• 1 egg, room temperature, slightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
• poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or caraway seeds for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Whisk together the water, yeast, sugar, and 1/2 cup of the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow to sit for 15 minutes. Add the egg, butter, salt, and an additional 3 cups of the flour. Use the kneading attachment to knead the dough for 5 minutes, or until it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl but is still a bit tacky to the touch. Add additional flour, tablespoon at a time, if the dough is too sticky.
2. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover loosely with a damp towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft free spot until doubled, about 90 minutes to 2 hours.
3. Gently deflate the dough. Cut into 12 pieces (18 for slider size) and form into hamburger and/or hot dog shapes. Place on baking sheets lined with a silpat or parchment paper, cover loosely, and allow to rise until puffy, about an hour. In the mean time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Beat the egg yolk with 2 teaspoons of water. Lightly brush each bun with the yolk and sprinkle with desired toppings. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown. Move to a wire rack to cool completely.

The dough should just start to pull away, and feel just a bit tacky to the touch.

Once risen, the dough will be satiny and soft.

Sprinkle liberally with seeds of your choice....

I especially like a little caraway seed and sea salt.

Fill with whatever you desire....Pulled Pork with Poblano Ranch Dressing? Yes!

Even a simple hot dog will seem special with a homemade bun.

What do you put on your buns?

Lemon Poppy-Seed Pull-Apart Bread #Pillsbury #BakeOff

Yum

So, here's the thing. This is a fabulous recipe. Seriously. Flaky biscuits are dipped in butter, rolled in lemon-sugar and poppy seed, baked until the lemon-sugar is wonderfully caramelized, and topped with an incredible lemony cream cheese glaze. Not only that---it's easy! We are talking seven ingredient- only 20 minutes prep time-easy.

The most amazing thing about this recipe? It's a contender for the $1 Million grand prize in the 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off that will take place in Nashville, TN on November 3, 2014. If you've read my blog before, you know that this will be my third and final try at the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Shock and awe, right? More than that, I am humbled by the recipes this one will be competing with. That said, this is my favorite entry to date. See for yourself.

I was excited to see Watkins™ Poppy Seed on the list of  eligible ingredients...it adds such a nice little nutty crunch to things.

I used the buttermilk Grands! biscuits...but the original works, too. It's the flaky layers that make a great pull-apart....

The seven ingredients begin with a can of Pillsbury™ Grands!™ Flaky Layers refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (8 biscuits)....there isn't a complicated yeasty dough to made, raised, and measured.  The biscuits are separated to make 16 smaller biscuits. Each biscuit is then brushed with melted butter, dredged in a mixture of lemon zest, sugar, and poppy seed and carefully placed in a loaf pan that has been lined with parchment paper.

Parchment paper makes it easy to lift the loaf out of the pan.

The baked loaf is allowed to cool for just a few minutes before it is glazed with a mixture of butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon juice. It's best served warm, but on the off chance there are leftovers, it is fine served at room temperature too. In fact, in order to prevent myself from eating a whole loaf in one sitting, I found that it also freezes well and the slices warm up quickly in the microwave or in a toaster oven.

This bread has it all...sweet, salty, tart, creamy, nutty, sticky...it is truly addicting!

Is it worth $1 Million? My fingers are crossed that it is!

Are you ready for the recipe? You can find it right here on Pillsbury's website. If you try it, let me know how you like it. In the meantime, I'll be preparing to have the time of my life at the 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off!

Milk and Honey Poppy Seed Muffins #Improv

After totally neglecting the Improv challenge for the last few months, I am happy to say that I'm back in the saddle!  For those not in the know, the Improv challenge is a fun way for us to play with our food. Each month our fabulous new leader, Lesa from Edesia's Notebook, provides us with two ingredients with which to make marvelous creations. This month our theme is Milk and Honey...such a tasty combo! Interested in participating? Go ahead and visit Edesia's Notebook...you don't even need a blog.

How fitting is it that my husband brought home a carton of Almond Milk with a Hint of Honey?!

 I honestly didn't know what I was going to make until I started gathering my ingredients. Of course there was honey, but I also grabbed a bottle of poppy seed and some frosted flakes. Muffins were in the works!

Milk and Honey Poppy Seed Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk or almond milk
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons poppy seed
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup crushed frosted flakes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.; line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, combine the milk, eggs, coconut oil, extracts, and honey. Stir in the poppy seed and allow to soak for 30 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk mixture and stir until just moistened (batter will be lumpy). Spoon batter into cupcake liners. Sprinkle the frosted flakes over the muffin tops.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched.

Prep Time: 00 hrs. 45 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 20 mins.
Total time: 65 mins.

The cornflakes give the muffins a little crunch....

Perfect for breakfast!

Or dessert...

Check out what everyone else has made with Milk and Honey!

***CORRECTION made from original post ---should be 1 egg, not 2!****

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