Cheese-onion buns with Beemster Belegen and sundried tomato

Brunch/Lunch dish. 12 pieces. Preparation 40 min. + 1 hr. and 30 min. waiting time + 20 min. oven time

Ingredients

• 300 ml whole milk + 1 tbsp to spread on the balls
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 12 g instant yeast
• 75 g butter (cold)
• 500 g patent flour + extra for dusting
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1½ tbsp. dried oregano
• 2 tsp sunflower oil
• 180 g semi-sun-dried tomatoes
• 3 medium-sized onions
• 175 g Beemster Belegen 48+
• ½ tsp sea salt flakes

Kitchen Stuff

• Stand mixer with dough hook (optional)
• Baking brush

Prepare

1. Heat 300 ml of milk in a saucepan very briefly to lukewarm. Put the milk in a bowl with the sugar and yeast and let stand for 10 min. If no foam layer has formed after 10 min, then the water was too hot or the yeast is too old. Then make the mixture again. Meanwhile, cut 60 g butter into cubes and rub with your fingers through the flour with the salt until the butter is almost completely incorporated. Beat the egg.
2. Make a well in the flour-butter mixture and add the milk-yeast mixture and the egg. Using a spoon, stir some of the dry mixture from the dimple into the wet mixture all around from the edges, until you need to knead. Dust the work surface with some flour and knead the dough in about 10 min until it is smooth but still quite sticky. Because it is a sticky dough, it may be helpful to have a standing mixer with dough hook do the work. When you are satisfied with the texture of the dough, add the oregano and knead in.
3. Grease a large bowl with half the oil and place the kneaded dough in it. Cover with a clean tea towel and put in a pleasant, draft-free place in the house so that it can begin to rise. The dough should double in volume, depending on the location and temperature in the room, this may be the case after only 45 min. Give your dough more time, say 1 hour, if you make this recipe in a cold kitchen in winter, for example.
4. In the meantime, drain the semi-sun-dried tomatoes in a colander and squeeze out a little oil with the back of a spoon. Cut into ½-inch pieces. Cut the onions into ½-inch half rings. Heat the rest of the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, sauté until translucent, about 5 min. then allow to cool. Coarsely grate the cheese.
5. Add the sun-dried tomato, mix well and divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Lightly flour your hands and grab a piece of dough. Round up the piece of dough by placing your hand like a bowl over the dough and with a little pressure and tension in your palm, thumb and little finger, turn small circles on the work surface until a nice, even ball is formed. Make balls of the other pieces of dough in the same way.
6. Grease a baking sheet with the rest of the oil and spread the balls on top, 3 cm apart. Cover the dough loosely with the clean tea towel and let rise a second time in a pleasant, draft-free place until they have doubled in size. This takes about 30 min, depending on the temperature in the room, but may take longer. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 °C.
7. Using a pastry brush, brush the risen balls with the remaining milk. Spread first the onion and then the cheese over the risen balls. Bake the balls in about 20 min. until golden brown and cooked in the center of the oven. Sprinkle immediately with the salt flakes, and place the cheese-onion balls still together on a wire rack to cool. Tear apart and serve at room temperature.

Crazy about baking? Then check out here our other recipes, who knows, maybe there is something delicious for you in there!