Little Piggies Buns Stuffed with Sausage

The cutest little buns I've ever seen. It makes having breakfast, snack, or lunch worth the while.
I wanted to make these piglets for Trinity's BD as pig is her Asian Zodiac sign. To be honest, I kind of wanted to make these piggy buns because they look like a lot of fun to make. 

Prep Time:1 Hr 20 Min Cook Time:20 Min Total Time:1 Hr 40 Min Serves 10 

Little Piggies Buns Stuffed with SausageRecipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman 

 Ingredients: 
 For the dough — 
1 cup milk 
1/4 cup sugar 
1/4 cup vegetable oil 
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, separated 
1/4 teaspoon baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
1 1/2 teaspoons salt Assembly 

4 Italian sausages, or chorizo  any kind, cooked and cut into 2-inch pieces 
Azuki beans, cloves, or peppercorn 
1 egg
Toothpicks 

Directions: 

In a pot over medium heat, mix together the milk, sugar, and vegetable oil. Heat until the mixture is just below boiling. Let cool until lukewarm. Sprinkle the yeast over the liquid and let it sit for a minute.  Stir in 2 cups of flour. The mixture will be very sticky and wet. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. 

After the dough has risen for 1 hour, stir in the remaining 1/4 cup flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. If the dough is still too wet to work with, add in a little more flour. Divide the dough evenly into 13 pieces. Wrap one of the pieces in plastic wrap and set aside. Flatten one of the dough balls into a circle roughly 4 inches in diameter, making the edges of the circle slightly thinner than the center. Place a piece of sausage at the center of the circle. Gather the edges of the circle around the sausage so that they meet in the middle. Press down on the seams. The dough should be in the shape of an oblong sphere. Place on a greased baking sheet, with the seam facing down. Repeat this process 11 more times. 

Cover the dough balls with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes, until slightly puffy. 

 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. When assembling the pigs, it is best to work in batches of three. Beat the egg and brush 3 of the dough balls with the egg wash. 

Make the snouts for the pig: Unwrap the dough ball you set aside. Break away a piece of dough about the size of a large pea or a small marble, and flatten it into an oval. Place the oval on the side of the dough ball (one of the narrower ends of the oblong sphere). Stick two toothpicks into the oval to make the two nostrils. You will leave the toothpicks in the dough while baking to keep the holes from sealing up in the oven.



 Repeat this process for the two other dough balls you brushed in egg wash. Place two azuki beans, cloves, or peppercorn above the snout for eyes. Do the same for the other two dough balls. Form two pea-sized pieces of dough into teardrop shapes. Place above the eyes for the pig’s ears. Repeat two more times. Place a pea-sized piece of dough on the back of the pig for a tail. Repeat twice. Repeat this process for the other 9 dough balls, working with 3 at a time. Place in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool, and carefully remove the toothpicks from the pigs’ snouts.

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• Place some flour on a surface and roll out the bread dough until desired thickness.

• Using a biscuit cutter or glass, cut circles in the dough for the pig heads. With the leftover scraps cut some triangles for the ears and make a small ball for the nose. Brush the whole roll with a little egg wash and use peppercorns for the eyes and rosemary for the nostrils.

• Lay each pig head on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

• In a small bowl, whisk egg with a fork. With a pastry brush, lightly brush each pig head then quickly add two peppercorns for eyes and two pieces of rosemary for the nostrils.

• Bake for 8-10 minutes and enjoy.
(11 ounce) can Pillsbury refrigerated crusty French loaf bread

whole egg / peppercorns / black sesame seeds

http://www.sogoodblog.com/2014/09/15/bacon-jam-review-new-must-condiment/