Soft and fluffy stuffed cheese buns with spring onions and Za'atar spice. These Middle-Eastern inspired buns are light, loaded with cheese and perfect for breakfast.
Quick and delicious breakfast treats
Growing up by the Black Sea in Romania, I was lucky enough to experience a mixture of cuisines and flavours. From Lebanese to Greek and Turkish, I love all of them. The spices and breakfast pastries are by far my favourite parts and they are the true definition of comfort food to me.
Traditionally, Romanians really love their cheese - especially kashkaval cheese. We would put that gooey deliciousness in every pastry and sandwich if possible. Basically... you can never have enough cheese!
Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, and I like to indulge in the occasional savoury pastry. This recipe is my interpretation of two things I absolutely adore: Za'atar and breakfast pastries. The breakfast buns are easy to make, soft and fragrant and can be frozen or reheated.
Za'atar, a most fragrant spice
I started cooking with Za'atar in the past 3-4 years, after having my first Lebanese pizza (also known as manakish). Za'atar is a fragrant Palestinian Thyme spice mix commonly used around the Middle East to make amazing treats.
Za'atar typically includes thyme, roasted sesame seeds, sumac, salt, cumin and coriander. The spice goes perfectly with pastries of all kind, focaccia bread, pizza toppings, chicken and roast potatoes, as well as salads and dressings. This amazing ingredient can be either home made or bought from your local Arab or Turkish market.
Making Stuffed Cheese Buns
These Stuffed Cheese Buns are really easy and doesn't require a lot of kneading - making it perfect for beginner bakers. The taste although authentically Middle Eastern, is not overbearing and can be enjoyed by everyone (Note: please be mindful of sesame seed allergy).
Gather all your ingredients to ensure you have everything you need and let's begin! In a large bowl, start by combining warm milk with instant dry yeast and sugar. Please ensure the milk is warm and not too hot, as this can essentially kill the yeast. The sugar is optional, and used to 'feed' the yeast and help it activate better.
Let the yeast bloom for 5-10 minutes, then add in the rest of the ingredients: flour, Za'atar, egg, salt and melted butter.
Start mixing the ingredients with a wooden spoon or spatula until they combine thoroughly. The dough will be quite sticky, but please resist the temptation to add more flour, as this will make the buns too dense. Cover with a cling film and let the dough prove for 1-2 hours until the dough doubles in size.
When the dough is almost ready, prepare your filling by chopping the spring onions finely and cutting the kashkaval cheese in walnut-sized cubes.
The dough has doubled in size, so now we can prepare our cheese buns. Start by dividing the dough into 10 smaller pieces. Take a small piece of dough and roll it between your palms to form a round ball. Gently press with your finger to flatten the ball into a circular disc roughly 8-10cm in diameter.
Place a pinch of spring onions and one cube of kashkaval cheese in the middle of the disc, the close it up. Use your fingers to pinch the dough and create a perfect seal to prevent the cheese from seeping out. Roll the bun between your palms to make round.
Complete all the 10 buns, then cover them with a wet towel or cling film and let them prove for 30 minutes.
Baking the buns
After proving, make a quick egg wash from one egg and brush over the buns. Sprinkle some sesame seeds or more Za'atar over the buns for a crunchy finish.
Bake the Stuffed Cheese Buns in the preheated oven at 190C (or 170C with fan) for 25 minutes or until golden. Let the buns cool on a wire rack then serve whilst still warm. Enjoy!
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Recipe
Stuffed Cheese Buns with Za'atar
Ingredients
Bun dough
- 125 g milk (½ cup)
- 8 g instant dry yeast (1 tsp)
- 8 g sugar (1 tsp)
- 250 g all purpose flour (2 cups)
- 40 g butter, melted (2 ⅔ tbsp)
- 8 g salt (1 tsp)
- 15 g Za'atar (1 tbsp)
Cheese filling
- 100 g kashkaval or cheddar cheese* (½ cup)
- 4 spring onions
Instructions
- In a bowl add the warm milk, instant yeast and sugar. Mix to dissolve the yeast, then let it sit for a few minutes.
- Add the flour, salt, Za’atar spices, egg and melted butter. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula to incorporate. The dough will be quite sticky, but do not add extra flour.
- Cover dough with cling film and leave in a warm place to prove 1-2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.
- Once the dough has proved, chop the spring onions finely and cube the kashkaval cheese in larger pieces the size of a walnut.
- Divide the dough in 10 parts. Take a small piece of the dough and make it round by rolling in between your palms.
- Flatten the dough with your fingers into a disc the size of your palm. Add some spring onion and one cube of kashkaval cheese in the middle of the disc.
- Use your fingers to pinch the dough together to seal in the filling and form a ball of dough. Roll between your palms to make the bun rounder.
- Place the buns on a baking sheet, cover with a wet towel and let it prove for 30 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C (340°F) fan-assisted whilst the buns prove.
- After the second proving, brush the buns with egg wash and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until golden in colour.
Notes
- I recommend using a kitchen scale in grams for more accuracy. The cups used for the conversion are standard US customary cups (1 cup flour = 136g). There are many different types of cups across the globe, which is why I strongly recommend using grams instead.
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