Poppy Seed Buns with Sweet Crumble Recipe

Hello!

I have fond memories of eating poppy seed or fruit filled buns as a kid. I remember when I was in junior high in Poland, during breaks, most kids would go to a bakery near by, to get these buns. 

Today I was feeling nostalgic, but I was not too keen on making the dough from scratch. I have decided to use ready pizza dough, I had stashed in the refrigerator, for days like these. 

Post Scriptum - I wanted to mention saying the word "buns" over and over again thorughout this post  made me laugh. Did you have a similar experience? 

Cheers! 

Poppy Seed Buns with Sweet Crumble

Poppy Seed Buns with Sweet Crumble (Makes 8-10 Buns) 

Ingredients
1 (16-oz package) prepared pizza dough (Allow to rest on the counter for 10 minutes, prior to using. I don't recommend whole wheat pizza dough for this recipe.)
*Use your own pizza dough recipe, if you are feeling ambitious. I wasn't. Lazy pants! 

Poppy Seed Filling
1 cup poppy seeds, soaked in boiling water
2 tablespoons vegan butter
1 teaspoon almond extract (vanilla extract may be substituted)
3 tablespoons organic powdered sugar

Sweet Crumble
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1.5 to 2 tablespoons raw cane sugar, depending on sweetness preference (I used 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons vegan butter

*Unflavored plant milk of choice, for coating buns (about 2 tablespoons) 

Great with vegan butter or fruit preserves.

Directions
Boil water in a tea kettle, enough to cover the poppy seeds (about 1.5 cups). Place the poppy seeds in a glass bowl. Submerge completely with boiling water. Cover with a plate, and allow to sit for about 20 minutes. This helps with getting the poppy seeds moist and to get rid of their bitterness.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Now place the soaked poppy seeds in mesh sieve, to drain excess liquid.

Like this. 

Place soaked and drained poppy seeds back into the bowl. Add the remaining poppy seed filling ingredients. Mix well, and place everything in a high-speed blender or a food processor, to make a paste. I highly recommend that you follow this step, for better flavor and consistency.

Let's talk dough… Divide the prepared pizza dough into 2 pieces. Now divide each into 4 pieces. To make the buns smaller, to yield 10 instead of 8, divide the pizza dough into smaller pieces yet.  I will let you figure that out though. I am not a mathematician, so you know…

Coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking cooking spray.  Stretch or roll out each piece of dough into a small flat circle. Like this.

Place about 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto a rolled out piece of dough, and pinch the top to secure it. Shape into a bun by rolling it into a ball using a nifty tool known as hands.

Place each bun, seam down, onto the baking pan. Coat each bun with plant milk, using kitchen brush.

We are almost at the finish line. Still with me? Sweet crumble time!

Combine the flour with sugar. Mix well. Add the vegan butter and incorporate it into the flour using your fingers. The consistency is that of "inedible" sand. Not that there is "edible" sand around. I could be wrong!

Top each bun with as much sweet crumble as you can. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, depending on the size, amount, and the temperature of your oven.

The buns will be ready when they turn golden color, and are not raw inside - obviously!  To prevent the raw dough phenomena, stretch out the dough evenly, when forming, and flatten each one with your fingers, but not that much.

Well, that's it boys and girls. As you were...

Eat!