Hungarian pogacsa buns

As it turns out, you can get used to everything. My current approach to Hungarian cuisine is the best example of this.

I remember the first time I went on a trip to Hungary. It was October. The weather there was just perfect. Not too cold, not too warm, no rain at all – all the perfect conditions for sightseeing.

We visited as many places in the city as it was possible in two days. There were a lot of things to see because, as you might know, Budapest is beautiful. Sightseeing aside, as a fan of eating, I was also interested in his kitchen. At the time, what I tried was lángos, goulash soup and garlic soup and some smaller snacks here and there. I do not remember, however, having eaten any other food typical to this country. The time I spent in Budapest at that time was too short.

My visit may have been short but I liked the city to such an extent that after a few months I decided to move there. And it will soon have been five years that I live here.

My second meeting with Hungarian cuisine took place at the time of my move and it is lasting to this day.

The beginning of my experience with local food was ambiguous. Hungarian cuisine is exceptionally rich in various flavors, not only in paprika, but it is also a heavy and oily cuisine. I remember having received a cook book from my husband a few years ago. He asked me to cook a dish for him from one of the recipes in it. I was going through those recipes and was telling myself that there was nothing suitable for eating in there. Nowadays though, I eat Hungarian sausages with paprika, of course, Hungarian black pudding, fish soup, goulash soup, paprika stuffed with minced meat, galuska or pogácsas – today, you will find a recipe for this latter.

Pogácsas are but bagels based on flour and yeast. There are various flavours but my favourite is the one with potatoes. They can be prepared as small snacks, which you can eat from time to time. In this form they are great for parties. You can also bake them in a bit bigger size to replace rolls and serve as a base for sandwiches. In any case, they taste delicious.

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Ingredients for Hungarian pogacsa buns.

Dough:

• 35 g yeast (fresh not instant)
• 30 g of caster sugar
• 50 ml of milk
• 400 g of cooked potatoes
• 400 g of butter or vegetable margarine
• 700 g of plain flour
• 3 egg yolks (keep the egg whites too)
• 40 g of salt

Additionally – optional:

• cumin seeds
• poppy seed
• grated cheese
• sea salt
• sweet paprika
• sesame seeds

How to make potato buns.

Peel the potatoes and cook them until tender. Let them cool down – not completely just to lukewarm then press them through a potato press.

Mix crushed yeast, caster sugar and lukewarm milk in a cup. Put it aside for 4-5 minutes to let it rise.

Put soft margarine in a bowl. Add sifted flour and salt to it. Combine the ingredients with your fingers. Once the ingredients start coming together, add egg yolks and the pressed potatoes with the risen yeast. Knead the dough then wrap it in a foil and put it in the fridge for 12 hours.

After removing it from the fridge, split the dough into several pieces. You will work only with one piece at a time.

Roll out the dough to a thickness of one centimeter. Cut out circles from the dough using a smaller or larger glass, depending on what size you want to make your rolls in.

Place the buns on a baking tin lined with baking paper.

Beat up egg whites with a fork. Brush each of the rolls egg whites and sprinkle with selected toppings, e.g. cumin. Keep the buns aside to rise. They should increase at least by half their size.

Put the risen buns into an oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius. Bake until they are lightly brown on the top.

Good to know when making buns.

Buns taste wonderful when still warm and covered with butter 🙂

As for the sprinkles, I used both cumin and poppy seeds as well as cheese. The more types of sprinkles you have, the more interesting. Everyone will be able to choose something for themselves.

If you opt for cheese as a sprinkle, go for Cheddar.

Pogacsas are ideal for breakfast, for dinner, for a picnic or for a party. They will also work as a snack for lunch.

In addition, baked pogacsas can be frozen. After defrosting, they taste as fresh as if they had just been baked.

Do you like potatoes? If yes, try out our recipe for Stuffed potato croquettes.