Winnie the Pooh Slider Buns
Summer has been a really wonderful time for our families as we’ve been exploring our neighborhood on bikes, and taking family trips. Another thing we’ve really enjoyed is sharing meals with family and friends. One summer dish that is classic for hot summer nights and for sharing with a crowd is sliders or sandwiches. We tried making some homemade pumpkin slider buns to pair with an Asian inspired pork patty, pickled cucumbers, hoisin ketchup and a side of sweet potato fries. It was a big success! Both kids and adults enjoyed the meal.
This summer, we were very honored and blessed to participate in the celebration of an upcoming marriage as well as a baby shower. The former couple loves everything Disney and the latter loves Winnie the Pooh. We were tasked to make a savory dish and we decided on Sandwiches made with our slider buns shaped like Pooh Bear and Piglet.
We made two batches of dough. To achieve the colors we wanted, we added pumpkin powder for Pooh and beet root powder for Piglet. On our first attempt at making Piglet, we added the same amount of beet root powder as we did pumpkin powder and what we got was a very dark pink dough. Not at all how Piglet should look so we decreased the amount of beet root powder significantly and our second attempt turned out much better.
When dividing out dough to make the buns, a portion of each dough was set aside to make Pooh’s ears and Piglet’s ears and nose. The ears for both Pooh and Piglet were shaped and baked separately from the buns. They were then attached with baked spaghetti sticks.
Piglet’s nose and ears are a slightly different shade of pink so we added a drop of pink food coloring to the dough ball designated for ears and nose. Unlike the ears, the noses were attached to the buns prior to baking. We noticed that after baking, Piglet’s ears had expanded and were no longer triangles so we reshaped them by pinching them with our fingers.
For the finishing touches, we drew on their eyes and eyebrows with edible marker.
We were pretty happy with the results. They were a hit at both events! The next time you feel like firing up the grill for burgers and you feel a bit adventurous, try making these buns and fill them with whatever you fancy. Hope you are having a wonderful summer. Enjoy!
Winnie the Pooh Slider buns
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour divided in half (1 1/4 cup and another 1 1/4 cup)
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp yeast
- 4 Tbsp pumpkin powder or 1 tsp beet root powder for Piglet
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 3 Tbsp butter softened
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 1 1/4 cup of flour, 3 Tbsp sugar, 2 tsp yeast, 4 Tbsp pumpkin powder, 1 egg, and 3/4 cup warm water. Mix vigorously until all the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Add in another 1 1/4 cup of flour, 3 Tbsp of softened butter, and 1 tsp salt until dough starts to form and pulls away from the bowl. (Dough will be a little sticky but you can add more flour if it is still stuck to the bowl)
- Knead dough in mixer for 5-7 minutes
- Shape into a ball and place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap or towel. Keep in a warm place for 45 minutes until dough has almost doubled in size.
- Punch out the air and knead dough for a few minutes. Divide dough into balls weighing 45 grams each. (Save one slightly smaller dough ball to make ears/noses)
- Fold and roll each section of dough into round bun and place on lined baking tray. Shape smaller round buns for the ears.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and let buns rest for another 10-15 minutes.
- Bake the buns for 5-7 minutes. Then take out the ears. Cover the rest of the buns with foil to prevent browning and continue to bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Let the buns cool completely.
- Decorate buns with edible food markers and attach ears with baked pasta sticks.
