Slow-Cooked Beef Buns Recipe

This Slow-Cooked Beef Buns Recipe creates soft and savory buns, which are made with tender minced beef and red wine. It’s the ultimate comfort food recipe, ready in about 6 hours.

Slow-Cooked Beef Buns Ingredients

FOR THE BUNS:

• 500g bread flour
• 104g Tipo 00 flour
• 44g sugar
• 22g yeast
• 32g milk
• 110g unsalted butter
• 330g water
• 5g sea salt

FOR THE BEEF FILLING:

• 3 Spanish or 5 regular onions
• 12 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 5 pickled walnuts
• olive oil
• 500g minced beef
• 200ml red wine
• 200ml organic chicken stock
• 1½ teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 30g fine oats
• 1 star anise
• 2 tablespoons pickled walnut juice

How To Make Slow-Cooked Beef Buns

1. Start the Dough: Place all the bun ingredients (except the butter) into a bread machine or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Combine the ingredients. Leave the dough to rest and prove for 20 minutes at room temperature.
2. Finish the Dough: Return the mixture to the machine, add the butter, and use the dough hook to bring everything together until a smooth dough forms.
3. Prove the Dough Balls: Weigh out the dough into 50g balls and arrange them on a tray. Leave them to prove for 1 hour, or until they have risen nicely.
4. Sauté the Aromatics: While the dough proves, prepare the filling. Peel and finely chop the onions. Pick and roughly chop the thyme leaves. Finely chop the pickled walnuts. Place the onions in a pan with a little oil and sweat them over a low heat for 5 minutes, until soft and sweet.
5. Brown the Beef: Preheat the oven to 100ºC/gas ¼. In a cast iron pan or casserole dish, fry the minced beef for 10 minutes over a medium-high heat, until it has developed a lot of color.
6. Slow-Cook the Filling: Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping up any browned bits. Add the sautéed onions, thyme, walnuts, chicken stock, garlic, bay leaves, oats, and star anise. Bring the mixture back to a boil, put the lid on, and slow cook in the oven for 4 hours.
7. Finish and Cool the Filling: Remove the filling from the oven. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the pickled walnut juice. The mixture should be moist but not overly wet. If it’s too loose, reduce it further on the stovetop over a high heat. Let the filling cool completely, then divide it into golf-ball sized pieces and roll them into balls.
8. Assemble and Bake: Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3. Flatten each dough ball, place a ball of the beef filling in the center, and mould the dough around it, pinching the seams to seal completely. Place the buns on a greased and lined baking tray, crease-side down.
9. Bake the Buns: Bake for 15 minutes, or until they have risen slightly and turned a beautiful golden brown. These are best eaten warm.

Recipe Tips

• What if I don’t have a bread machine? You can easily make this dough by hand or with a stand mixer. Knead the initial ingredients until a shaggy dough forms, let it rest for 20 minutes, then knead in the soft butter until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• How do I properly seal the buns? After wrapping the dough around the filling, firmly pinch the seams together at the bottom. When you place it on the baking sheet crease-side down, the weight of the bun will help maintain a good seal.
• Can I make the filling ahead of time? Absolutely. The beef filling is a perfect make-ahead component. It can be made up to two days in advance and stored in the refrigerator, which also makes it easier to roll into balls when cold.
• How do I know when the dough is properly proved? The 50g dough balls should look visibly puffed up and feel light and airy after the 1-hour proving time.

What To Serve With Slow-Cooked Beef Buns

These savory buns are a fantastic meal on their own, but they are even better with a dipping sauce or simple side.

• Horseradish Cream: A nod to the original recipe name! Mix crème fraîche or sour cream with a little prepared horseradish for a spicy, creamy dip.
• A sharp, crisp pickle or a side of pickled onions.
• A simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette.
• Steamed green beans.

How To Store Beef Buns

• Refrigerate: The baked buns are best eaten warm but will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them in a 170°C/325°F oven for 5-10 minutes to refresh them.
• Freeze: You can freeze the baked and cooled buns in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and reheat in the oven.

Slow-Cooked Beef Buns Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 380 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 40g
• Protein: 20g
• Fat: 16g
• Saturated Fat: 8g
• Sodium: 450mg
• Sugar: 8g

Nutrition information is estimated per bun and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.

FAQs

Try More Recipes:

• MASH-TOPPED BEEF & GUINNESS PIE Recipe
• Beef Tacos Recipe
• Beef Brisket with Red Wine & Shallots Recipe