What do you get when you mix bread, cheese, Hunger Games, cheese, and cheese?
Say it with me: Stuffed Cheese Buns. And guess what, they're really quick and easy to make. And they have cheese.
Sorry I keep making a bunch of Peeta food. You may recall the goat cheese and apple tart from when The Hunger Games came out in theaters.
Don't hate, but I'm not actually on "team Peeta". I mean, don't get me wrong, Peeta's a cool person and everything, but Peeta and I are like... the same person. We're both bakers, we have a great sense of humor, we're really eloquent and good with words (HA), and neither of us would stand a chance on our own in the hunger games.
You know, sometimes I wonder if he's actually my great-great-great grandson. I mean, The Hunger Games is in the future. Maybe I'm the Grandma who will pass down all my recipes to him.
Anyways, even if we weren't related, I need a real man who can protect me from psychopathic teenagers in the woods.
But what food does Gale have to offer? Squirrel stew? Roasted possum butts? I don't think so.
See, since Peeta and I have the same mind, I know exactly what he would bake. And nothing could be more fitting to feast on while you watch The Hunger Games on DVD than Katniss's favorite food: Peeta's cheese buns.
Not that I'm actually going to make these again tomorrow night when we watch the movie. Or does the DVD come out on Saturday? Is it even this week? I guess I'm not a very good fan. Piggie would be ashamed. I guess if she's gotten this far reading this post, she's already fuming about me publicly proclaiming my anti-team-Peeta views, but... what the heck. I made her cheese buns so she should just deal with it.
But Peeta, you still are my grandson, even if I'm not on your "team". So I hope that none of this recipe gets lost to the ravages of time, because the way it is here and now in 2012 is perfection. Not only do they have cheese baked on top like you made them in the book, they also are stuffed with a gooey hunk of cheese. Don't forget that, sonny. It'll win Katniss's heart for sure.
These only take about an hour. First you just make the dough in your mixer and let it knead for about 10 minutes. Then let it rise for about 30 minutes. Then my favorite part, stuffing each one with cheese.
You just roll it into a ball, stick a hunk of cheese in, and then pinch it back together so that it can't escape.
Once it's completely sealed, throw some more cheese on top. After you bake them, make sure you brush them with some butter.
I put some fresh oregano in my butter. Aint it purty?
Anyways, the rest is history. I mean... a dystopian future. Whatever.
Peeta's Stuffed Cheese Buns
1 cup warm water (probably somewhere between 105º and 115º. I just get it hot from the tap. Don't get it too hot or it will kill the yeast.)
2 tablespoons yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
-At least 8 oz. of cheese, the more the merrier (I used chunks of mozzarella for the inside and a mixture of shredded colby and swiss for the top. I was just trying to use up all the forgotten chunks in the hidden corners of the fridge)
-Parmesan cheese
-A few tablespoons of melted butter mixed with a sprinkle of garlic powder and some fresh herbs if you want.
Mix together the yeast and water and let it sit for a couple minutes. Add the sugar, garlic powder, melted butter, and oil. Add the flour a little and a time, mixing in your stand mixer with a dough hook. Add the salt. Knead for 10 minutes, in the stand mixer or by hand. Let the dough rise in a greased bowl (I used the same bowl) covered with a wet cloth for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375º. Divide the dough into about 20 pieces or so (you can make them as big or small as you want). Put about a 3/4 inch chunk of cheese in each one and make sure you pinch all the edges back up tightly. Put the pinched side down on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle the buns with more shredded cheese and some parmesan cheese. Bake at 375ºF for about 11-15 minutes until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Brush with the melted butter and serve warm.
And don't forget to same some for Prim.
