Elsa’s Mushroom-Filled Buns

My daughter Elsa loves everything related to mushrooms. When she watched an interview with the famous Swedish chef Ekstedt, he mentioned that his new favorite on their menu is a mushroom-filled wheat bun. Elsa also loves buns, so she challenged me to create my own mushroom-filled buns which, of course, I did. I chose not to look at Ekstedt’s version and instead came up with my own version. Elsa has been a taste advisor throughout the development of this recipe and an inspiration, which is why they are called Elsa’s Mushroom-Filled Buns. She, as well as my husband, was very pleased with the result. One of my sisters, who was initially very skeptical, also ended up loving them. We imagine serving these with a pre-dinner drink—perhaps in a smaller version—or as part of a Swedish tapas-style meal.

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You will need

Makes 25–30 buns

Wheat Dough

1 oz (25 g) fresh yeast

1 cup + 2 tsp (250 ml) milk at room temperature

3–3 ¼ cups (700-750 ml) all-purpose flour

5 tbsp (75 ml) granulated sugar

½ tbsp (7½ ml) vanilla sugar (or 1½ tsp vanilla extract as a substitute)

3.58 oz (100 g) butter at room temperature

½ tsp (2½ ml) salt

Mushroom Filling

9 oz (250 g) cooked funnel chanterelles (or yellow chanterelles)

1 oz (25 g) cold butter

7 oz (200 g) butter at room temperature

1 cube mushroom bouillon

4 tbsp (60 ml) mushroom powder (finely ground dried mushrooms, e.g., funnel chanterelle)

½ tsp (2½ ml) pul biber (Aleppo pepper)

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

⅓ cup + 1 tbsp to ⅔ cup (100-150 ml) water

3 tbsp (45 ml) Philadelphia cream cheese

3 tbsp (45 ml) golden syrup

1½ tsp (7½ ml) all-purpose flour

Syrup Glaze for Brushing

⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (100 ml) water

⅔ cup (150 ml) syrup

How to make it

Mushroom Filling

1. Finely chop the mushrooms and place them in a hot frying pan without any fat. Sauté while stirring until the pan is completely dry. Add the butter and sauté the mushrooms for a few minutes, stirring constantly.

9 oz (250 g) cooked funnel chanterelles (or yellow chanterelles)

1 oz (25 g) cold butter

2.  Add the bouillon cube, mushroom powder, pul biber, salt, pepper, and water. Cook and let the liquid evaporate completely while stirring.

1 cube mushroom bouillon

4 tbsp (60 ml) mushroom powder (finely ground dried mushrooms, e.g., funnel chanterelle)

½ tsp (2½ ml) pul biber (Aleppo pepper)

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

⅓ cup + 1 tbsp to ⅔ cup (100-150 ml) water

3. Add the cream cheese and syrup and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning and sweetness. Remove the mushrooms from the heat and let cool.

3 tbsp (45 ml) Philadelphia cream cheese

3 tbsp (45 ml) golden syrup

4. Mix the butter, mushrooms, and flour into a smooth mixture. Put it aside.

7 oz (200 g) butter at room temperature

1½ tsp (7½ ml) all-purpose flour

Dough

5.  Crumble the yeast into a bowl, pour in the milk, and stir until the yeast has completely dissolved.

1 oz (25 g) fresh yeast

1 cup + 2 tsp (250 ml) milk at room temperature

6.  Add half of the flour along with the sugar, vanilla sugar, and butter. Work into a sticky dough.

1 ½ cup (350 ml) all-purpose flour

5 tbsp (75 ml) granulated sugar

½ tbsp (7½ ml) vanilla sugar (or 1½ tsp vanilla extract as a substitute)

3.58 oz (100 g) butter at room temperature

7. Add the salt and the remaining flour little by little. Knead the dough in a machine for at least 10 minutes until it becomes elastic and glossy (longer if kneading by hand).

1 ½ - 1¾ cup (350 – 400 ml) all-purpose flour

½ tsp (2½ ml) salt

8. Roll out the dough into two rectangles. Spread the mushroom–butter filling evenly over the surface. Roll up into logs and cut into cinnamon-roll–style pieces. Place paper liners in muffin trays to place the buns in. Let them rise for 3 hours at room temperature under a damp kitchen towel.

9.   Preheat the oven to 437°F (225°C).

10. Mix the syrup and water and set aside.

⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (100 ml) water

⅔ cup (150 ml) syrup

11. Bake the buns for 8–10 minutes, until nicely golden.

12. Brush the buns with the syrup mixture as soon as they come out of the oven. Place them on a rack and let cool. Enjoy!

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