Sri Lankan Seeni Sambol Buns for #BreadBakers

Theme for this month's Bread Bakers is 'Stuffed Breads' and I have bookmarked quite a few stuffed breads from our recent mega marathon. But luckily, Priya picked buns for this month's 'Home Bakers Challenge' and she had these amazing looking caramelized onion filled Sri Lankan buns on the list.

Seeni Sambol is a Sri Lankan relish made with onions. (Seeni means sugar). This seeni sambol is a sweet, tangy and sour relish that is served with any savory meal or as a sandwich filling. So as the name suggests these buns are stuffed with seeni sambol or sweet onion relish.

I followed the recipe from NY Times. These buns are soft and fluffy and the delicious onion relish makes them irresistible. These buns are generally served either for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

I used 50-50 All purpose flour & whole wheat flour in the dough. I skipped the egg in the dough and in the egg wash -- replaced them with egg replacer powder and soy milk. Even with my substitutions, the buns turned out nice and soft.
It is best to serve the buns warm. But they can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 1~2 days. Reheat them in the microwave before serving. They can also be frozen (tightly wrapped) for up to a month. My husband enjoyed them with some green chutney as a tea time snack.

Recipe adapted from here:
Ingredients: Makes 8 buns
For the dough:
All purpose flour - 1cup
Whole wheat flour - 1cup
Instant Yeast - 1tsp
Egg - ½ of a large (or use 1½tsp egg replacer powder or flax seed meal whisked in 1½tbsp water) 

Milk - 2tbsp
Salt - 1tsp
Sugar - 1tbsp
Unsalted butter - 2tbsp, room temperature

For the Onion Filling:
Red onions - 1 large, thinly sliced
Curry leaves - 6~8
Red chili flakes - ½tsp (adjust as per taste)
Salt - as needed
Sugar - 1tsp
Tamarind paste - ½tsp
Fresh Ginger - ½tsp, finely grated
Ground Cinnamon - ½tsp

Soy milk - 1tbsp for brushing the buns (or use 1 large egg yolk whisked with 1tbsp water)

Method:

• Make the Dough: In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all the dough ingredients along with ½cup of water. Knead until smooth. Turn into a greased bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1½~2hours.
• Divide the dough into 8 balls and let rise for 30 minutes.
• Make the Onion Filling: Heat 1tbsp oil in a saute pan on medium-high heat, add the curry leaves and onions. Cook till the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Then stir in the crushed red pepper flakes, salt, sugar, tamarind, ginger and cinnamon. Continue to cook till the onions are very soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Punch down each ball and press or roll out the dough into a 5" circle. Put a tablespoon of the onion filling in one quadrant of the circle, then fold the dough over like a half moon to cover the filling. Lift the portion of the half moon that has no filling, and fold over once again. Pinch only the rounded edges of the dough together, then tuck them under and place the bun on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dpugh balls. 
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the tops of the buns with soy milk (or the egg yolk mixture) and bake for 12~15 minutes or until the buns are lightly golden on top and bottom, be careful not to overbake or the dough will be dry. Serve warm or at room temperature.

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla has chosen breads from around the world that are traditional for Easter, Passover or Springtime. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Stuffed Breads from the Bread Bakers

Sweet Breads

• Chocolate Caramel Stuffed Monkey Bread from Robin at A Shaggy Dough Story
• Cinnamon Roll Quickbread from Laura at Baking in Pyjamas
• Cream Pan - Japanese Custard Filled Buns from Shireen at Ruchik Randhap
• Figgy Olive Oil and Sesame Challah from Sarah at What Smells So Good?
• Jam filled Danish Pastries from Holly at A Baker's House
• No-Knead Apricot Sweet Rolls from Renee at Magnolia Days

Savory Breads

• Baked Peas Kachori from Shilpi at SimplyVeggies
• Cauliflower, Paneer & Peas Stromboli from Priya at I Camp in my Kitchen
• Cheesy Bacon Stuffed Pretzel Buns from Allison at The PinterTest Kitchen
• Cheesy Pizza Wheels from Tara at Noshing with the Nolands
• Chicken Stuffed Casserole Bread from Lakshmi at Cooking Club
• Cuban Sandwich-Stuffed Cuban Bread from Jenni at Jenni Field’s Pastry Chef Online
• Gruyère Stuffed Crusty Loaves from Adam at Bakers and Best
• Jalapeno Cheddar Stuffed Pretzel Rolls from Heather at Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks
• Jamaican Meat Loaf from Kelly of Passion Kneaded
• Paneer Kulcha from Anshie at Spice Roots
• Prosciutto, Salami and Mozzarella Stromboli from Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Russian Pirozhki from Mireille at Chef Mireille's East West Realm
• Sri Lankan Seeni Sambol Buns from Pavani at Cook's Hideout
• from Sneha at Sneha's Recipe
• Stuffed Black Garlic Monkey Bread from Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Stuffed Pretzel Bites from Karen at Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Tiganopsomo - Feta-Stuffed Fried Bread from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Zucchini and Goat Cheese Stuffed Bread from Aisha at La cocina de Aisha