Candied Yam Buns

Candied yams are one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving, but I always have trouble finding the right place to put it on my plate. That's why, this year, I made them for dessert. No more competition when these babies can be picked up and eaten anytime of the food and family filled day.

 

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Candied Yam Buns

makes 12 buns

Ingredients:

• dough
• 300 grams white bread flour
• 200 grams whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon butter (oil for vegans)
• 2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons room temperature water
• filling
• 2 15oz cans candied yams
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch (corn, arrowroot, or potato starch all work as well)
• glaze
• 4 cups mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• ground cinnamon and cinnamon stick for garnish

special tools:

• baking twine

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix both flours, the yeast, and the salt.
2. In a separate bowl, dissolve/melt the brown sugar and butter in 1/3 cup boiling water then add the room temp water.
3. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and knead until there is no dry flour at the bottom of the bowl.
4. Cover the dough and let sit for 20 minutes. This will give gluten time to develop so you don't have to knead as much.
5. Once rested, knead for ~3 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Cover again and let rise for 1- 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
6. Now make the filling and prep your baking twine. First drain the syrup from the candied yams into a small bowl and set aside (you will use it later). 
7. Place the yams in a medium sized bowl and add the brown sugar and tapioca starch and mix.
8. Cut 36 equal length strands of twine and grease them with butter or oil. This will keep the twine from leaving fibers on your buns or sticking too much. 
9. Once the dough has risen, punch out the air and split it into four. Keep 3 of them covered so that the dough doesn't become dry while you work with it. 
10. Take one of the fourths and split it again into 3 small balls of equal size.
11. Fold the edges of the dough under to form a round ball then press it flat with your hand. Set aside and do the same with the other 2 pieces.
12. Take the first piece you flattened and gently tug the edges so that you have a circle of dough about the size of your hand or slightly smaller. 
13. Spoon a small amount of the mixture (2 tablespoons tops, over filling will make sealing a nightmare) into the center of the circle.
14. Pull the edges of the dough up and over the filling to meet in the center of the circle and pinch them together to seal. Make sure the edges you are trying to seal do not get any of the filling on them as it will prevent them from sticking together. Continue to pinch the edges together until you have a completely sealed ball.
15. Lay out 3 greased strings on top of each other so that they make 6 triangles like a pizza. Place the shaped bun in the center of the strings with the pinched side down. Lift all the string ends to the center above the bun and use them to transfer the bun to a parchment lined baking sheet.
16. Repeat with the 11 remaining buns.
17. Once they are all shaped and on the baking sheet, you must make a decision. You can tie the strings now or after the second proof right before they go into the oven. If you do it before the proof, it will make for a more defined pumpkin shape but if you do it after the proof there is less chance of the twine cutting into the bun and causing the filling to leak out. If you want the shape, tie the strings now buy lifting all the ends to the center of the bun like you did to move it onto the sheet and knot them all together. You can do this by gently tying the strands opposite one another or by making a loop with one strand around the others and pulling tight. Don't tie them too tightly.
18. Cover the buns with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes.
19. Begin the glaze while they rise. Pour the syrup you drained from the yams into a skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and let dissolve. Then add 2 cups of marshmallows and let them melt to make room before adding 2 more. Stir the marshmallows until they have all completely melted and you have a thick glaze. 
20. Once your buns have risen, bake @400ºF for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown.
21. Once they are out of the oven, carefully remove the strings and top with the glaze while it and the buns are still warm. The glaze should melt onto the buns and coat them. 
22. Garnish with ground cinnamon and add a shard of cinnamon stick to the very top of the bun to act as a stem for your pumpkin. 
23. Enjoy!!!