Blueberry Buns

Elephant Ears and Zucchini Muffins are in my freezer, waiting to be defrosted for guests to dig into this weekend.  But it seemed unfair to allow them only two choices.  So when I happened upon bamitbach and her post about Blueberry Buns, there, staring at me, was the perfect third choice.  Sweet blueberries, gently swaddled in a challah bun.  I was gaining weight just reading the post.

I made bamitbach's filling and used my own challah exterior.  But something went a little wrong with her two-ingredient filling:

These are the blueberries after 10 minutes.  They were supposed to macerate (cook-speak for soften) for only 5.  But as a disclaimer, the blueberries were partially defrosted.  Maybe it would have combined better if they were fresh.  Or totally defrosted.  In any event, a lot of sugar was left behind in the dish, yet the blueberries managed to gel nicely during the baking and cooling process anyway.

So although the photo above shows the original amount of sugar, I adjusted the recipe to what I thought it should be.  I also omitted sprinkling more sugar over the buns after applying the egg wash because it was unnecessay I forgot.   In any event, the buns turned out great!  I hope the guests think so as well.

Blueberry Buns
makes 8 (or more) buns, depending upon amount of dough used

1 recipe challah dough (or use your own)
1 pint blueberries, defrosted if frozen
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 Tbl. water

Make challah dough, allowing it the usual two risings before proceeding.

Preheat oven to 375F.  Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large rimmed baking pan and set aside (parchment helps prevent sticking and burning in the event of blueberry juice leakage).

In a one quart bowl, mix the blueberries with the sugar and set aside for at 5-10 minutes to allow the juices to be drawn out.

Divide dough into 8 or more equal portions, depending upon the amount of dough you have.  Roll each potion out into a circle about 8 inches in diameter.

Spoon a tablespoon or two of the blueberry mixture into the center of each circle, depending upon number of circles. Bring up the sides of the dough and pinch them together, leaving only a small opening at the top (as the dough bakes the hole will expand exponentially).  Place buns on the prepared baking pan.

 Lightly beat the egg yolk with the water.  Lightly rush buns with the egg wash.

No additional rising needed.  Bake at 375F for about 15 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown.

A  few of the buns leaked a little, but flavor wasn't affected.  Slide parchment paper with buns still attached onto a cooling rack.  Allow to cool at least 15 minutes, then peel buns off parchment.

Cool completely before storing.  Store in a sealed container up to 3 days, or freeze.