Sweet Cherry Buns (Jewish)

This recipe is for the holiday Sukkot -- Festival of Booths -- & was found in the 1998 publication, A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking. Preparation time does not include the time needed for the dough or the buns to rise.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup warm water
• 2  tablespoons dry yeast
• 2⁄3 cup granulated sugar
• 1  cup milk, warm
• 2  teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 3  large eggs
• 1⁄2 cup  vegetable oil (or unsalted butter, melted, cooled)
• 5 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (19 ounce) can cherry pie filling
• 1  egg
• 2  tablespoons milk
• 2  tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together water, yeast & a pinch of sugar, then let it stand for 2-3 minutes until the yeast swells or seems dissolved.
2. Whisk in the milk, remaining sugar, vanilla, salt, eggs & oil (or butter), then stir in most of the flour, kneading by hand for 8 minutes. Dust in more flour, as required, to get a soft dough.
3. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly greased bowl, & cover it with greased plastic wrap, before letting it rest about 45 minutes or until doubled.
4. Drain the cherries into a medium saucepan, then measure & take out 1/4 cup of the juice & set it aside.
5. In that medium saucepan, heat the remaining cherry juice with the sugar.
6. Mix the 1/4 cup of cherry juice with the corn starch, & when the mixture in the saucepan comes to a gentle boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture. Reduce the heat to low & stir until the mixture thickens (1 to 2 minutes).
7. Remove from the heat & stir in the cherries, then let them cool in the refrigerator until needed.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F & line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
9. In a small container mix the egg with the 2 tablespoons of milk & set aside.
10. Gently deflate the dough & divide it into 20 pieces.
11. Roll each piece into a rough oval about 4"x6" & a little less than 1/4 inch thick. Lightly brush the egg glaze around the edges of each oval of dough.
12. Place a tablespoon of cherry filling in the center, then fold opposing sides of each oval over each other, then fold the next two opposing sides toward the center to seal.
13. Place the buns on the baking sheet, brush each with the egg glaze & sprinkle each glazed bun lightly with sugar.
14. Let the buns rise for 15-20 minutes, until puffy but NOT doubled in size.
15. Bake for 25 minutes or until evenly browned, then cool in the pan before serving.