Super soft leavened buns, filled with a gooey and creamy cheese béchamel, topped with many cubes of Speck Alto Adige PGI, a true delight! They are perfect for an aperitif or to take on a picnic, as they are good both hot and cold!
The dough is very simple to prepare, and the cheese béchamel cooks while the dough rises.
The buns are great enjoyed as is or also accompanied by additional thin slices of Speck Alto Adige PGI, the South Tyrolean ham, produced following a long tradition, but with modern methods, by 28 associated producers. Each has its own secret recipe for the spices used, enriching the various Speck Alto Adige PGI with a personal note, usually following family recipes.
If you like Speck Alto Adige PGI, also try these recipes of mine:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Rest time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 35 Minutes
- Portions: 10 buns
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups Manitoba flour
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3/4 cup milk (warm)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 tbsps butter (soft)
- 2 tbsps butter
- to taste nutmeg
- 2 tbsps flour
- 1 1/8 cups milk
- to taste salt
- 3 1/2 oz cheese (melting)
- 4 1/4 oz Speck Alto Adige PGI (sliced approx. 1/8 inch thick)
- 1 egg
- to taste thin slices of Speck Alto Adige PGI (for serving)
- to taste oregano (optional)
Steps
To prepare the buns with cheese béchamel and Speck Alto Adige PGI, place the flour, dry yeast, sugar, warm milk, and egg in the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn on the mixer and knead until you obtain a homogeneous dough. Then add the salt and soft butter in pieces, and knead everything until it is smooth and elastic and detaches from the sides and bottom of the bowl. This will take about 20 minutes.
You can also knead everything by hand.Form a ball with the dough, place it in a bowl, and let it rise, covered, in a warm place until doubled. This will take about 2 hours.
To prepare the cheese béchamel, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the nutmeg and then flour. Stir everything with a whisk until it thickens. Then pour in the milk, continuing to stir, and add the salt (not too much, as the cheese will add flavor). Bring to a boil, stirring, and continue cooking until the béchamel thickens. Remove from heat, add the melting cheese cut into cubes, and stir until it is melted.
Pour the béchamel into a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap in contact to avoid a skin forming, and let it cool, ideally even in the fridge for an hour.
When the dough has doubled in volume, divide it into 10 equal pieces. Form a ball with each one and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let them rise, covered with a cloth, for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the 1/8 inch thick slices of Speck Alto Adige PGI into small squares and preheat the oven to 355 degrees Fahrenheit (static).
After the resting time, take a glass slightly smaller than the balls you made and press it into the center of each dough ball, creating an indentation and leaving a border of about 1/2 inch. Brush the buns with beaten egg.
Using 2 teaspoons, distribute the béchamel into the indentations of each bun and bake at 355 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. Remove the buns from the oven and distribute the Speck Alto Adige PGI squares over the béchamel. Bake again for about 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove your buns from the oven and serve immediately, accompanied by slices of Speck Alto Adige PGI and a few oregano leaves.
