Day 249: Cheeseburger Buns

I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend!  The last weekend of summer always makes me sad.  I really hate winter!  :)  I hate even thinking about winter!  The really sad thing about summer ending is that I finally learn to dutch oven cook and we don't go camping one time.  How pathetic.  And sad.  And really disappointing.  Oh well, there's always next year.
I do have some good news to tell you though!  A few months ago I did a magazine interview with a writer from Airstream Life magazine.  He was doing an article on dutch oven cooking and he interviewed me and Jack Wallace from IDOS.  I was definitely in good company there.  I've been lucky to meet Jack several times and he is a fantastic DO cook and person.  If you're interested in reading the article, you'll find the online version of the magazine here.
On to today's recipe.  My hubby had to work late last night so I wanted to do something fun and different for the kids, so I came up with this recipe.

Cheeseburger Buns
12" dutch oven

2 (1/4 oz.) pkgs. active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
1 1/2  lbs. ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
8 slices American cheese, quartered  (I used shredded cheddar because I don't think American counts as cheese)

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add milk, sugar, shortening, egg, salt and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth.  Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.  Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
In a dutch oven, cook the beef and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in tomato sauce.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Punch dough down; divide into 16 pieces.  Gently roll out and stretch each piece into a 5 inch circle.   Top each circle with 3 Tbs. meat and 2 pieces of cheese.  Bring dough over filling and pinch edges to seal.
Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 20 minutes.  Bake at 400° for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Use 2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom.  Serve warm.  Makes 16 sandwiches.

The Finished Product

The Review

I was instructed by my kids to make these everyday.  I doubled this recipe and there wasn't even 1 sandwich left over.  The kids ate like it was their last meal.  I thought they were okay, but lets face it, this is kid food.  And my kids gave these an A.