Balloon Buns

We've made this treat for years and years--my mom made them when we were kids--and we always called them Balloon Buns. Someone informed me that they're also called Tomb Buns and are a traditional Easter treat because the empty center symbolizes the empty Easter tomb and therefore the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So Balloon Buns/Tomb Buns whatever, it really doesn't matter because they're fun to make and delicious to eat.

For the dough:
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon fast acting yeast

Mix the dough as you would any other bread dough--either in a bread machine or by traditional hand methods. You could even use Rhoades frozen rolls in a pinch (thawed of course). But once you have the dough you separate it into 18 equal pieces and roll each slightly into a round of dough.

For the rest of the recipe you'll need:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
18 marshmallows

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Dip one marshmallow in the melted butter, covering it completely, then roll it in the sugar and cinnamon mix. Take one of the rounds of dough and wrap it around the marshmallow, sealing it carefully. This is tricky with the greasy butter but if it doesn't seal the marshmallow will leak out during the baking.

Once they're sealed, dip the tops in melted butter (I didn't promise these were good for you did I?) then in another dip of cinnamon and sugar. Place them in greased muffin tins (not lined with papers, that will just make a mess) and bake them for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees until lightly browned. The marshmallow melts, leaving a cave of sugary-cinnamony-melted goodness inside, hence the name "Balloon Buns."

Eat while warm with a cool glass of milk.

Technorati tags: marshmallows, bread, buns, Easter, holidays