I made these savoury Kitty Cat Bread Buns for my daughter’s 5th birthday party and they were a hit. Not only did they taste yummy, they also looked quite cute, which is always an important factor, especially for a kid’s party. The brown dough is made with cocoa powder, but rest assured that the cocoa powder is not sweet, so the buns will still taste savoury. These are quite easy to make, but a little time consuming as they require to proof twice, like all bread buns. The good news is that you can easily make them in advance and freeze them! I always try to prepare food that freezes well when I organise parties. I find that there’s always so much to do (and decorate) on the day, that it’s a big relief knowing some of the food is ready and just needs to be defrosted. These freeze beautifully. I love making animal faces with bread… do you remember my Pizza flavoured Piggy Buns? So much fun to make and serve! I filled these Kitty Cat Bread Buns with tuna and mash potatoes, but you can use the filling you like the most! Enjoy!
Kitty Cat Bread Buns
Kitty Cat Bread Buns filled with tuna, fun and great for any party!
Ingredients
Bread Dough
- 300 gms – 2 ½ cups flour
- ½ tsp yeast
- 1 egg
- 20 gms – 6 tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 20 gms – 1 ¼ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 150 ml – 2/3 cups water lukewarm
Chocolate Dough
- 100 gms – ¾ cup flour
- ¼ tsp yeast
- ½ tsp sugar
- 60 ml – ¼ cup + 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
Tuna Filling
- 95 gms – 3.5 oz. tuna
- 1 potato boiled and mashed
- 2 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1-2 tbsp milk
Instructions
Bread Dough
Chocolate Dough
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Put all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the hook attachment and knead well until you get a smooth and pliable dough. Keep aside to proof for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Tuna Filling
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Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and divide into 8 equal portions.
Assembling
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Divide the bread dough into 8 large portions (about 40 gms – 1.5 oz. each) and 16 small portions (about 10 gms – 1/3 oz. each). Shape them into balls, loosely cover them with cling wrap and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.
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Flatten each large ball into a flat oval shape. Place each portion of tuna filling in the center of the dough and pinch the edges together to enclose it and form a bun. Keep them seam side down on a baking tray covered with baking paper.
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Roll and shape two of the small balls into teardrops and put them onto the baking tray next to the bigger bun, to form the ears.
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Do this for all the remaining dough.
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Roll the chocolate dough into thin ropes. Cut and place them onto the cat faces to decorate them.
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Keep the buns to proof for another hour, loosely covered with cling wrap.
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When the buns have doubled in size, brush them with egg wash and bake them in a pre-heated oven at 180°C – 355°F for 18 minutes.
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When ready, remove the bread buns from the baking tray and allow them to cool down completely on a wire rack.
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Serve at room temperature.
These are so adorable!! The tuna filling was a surprise – I wasn’t expecting that, which s a GREAT thing! The kids will gobble these right up!!
What a fantastic mother you are and what a terrific baker too. I wish I’d had these when I was 5.
These look so good! I was wondering if you have a suggestion to replace tuna? Can it be replaced with chocolate to make a dessert bun or another savoury filling? I want to make these with my step daughter but I am allergic to tuna (canned meats preservative allergy) I’d appreciate any suggestions that would still hold the right consistency
Hi Mary! Sorry for the late reply. The filling can be anything. You could add cheese or ham or both instead of tuna. 🙂