Brilliant Corners, London: Wonderful Japanese Food, Weird Name, Atrocious Service

• 1 packet instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons, I believe)
• 2T white sugar
• 1C warm-to-hot water (should not be too hot to touch)
• 1C hubbard squash or pumpkin, pureed
• 1/2C unsweetened nondairy milk
• 1/4C vegan butter (used Earth Balance)
• 2T coconut oil
• 1/4C brown sugar
• 1/2t cinnamon
• 1T vanilla extract
• 4C white or white-whole wheat flour
• 2C oat flour 

For the filling:

• 1C squash/pumpkin, pureed
• 1T cinnamon
• 1/4C melted vegan butter
• 1/4C white sugar
• 1/4C brown sugar
• (You can play with the filling to suit your preferences)

DIRECTIONS:

1. First, check your yeast. Put a packet of instant yeast in a measuring cup with 2T of sugar and 1 cup warm-to-hot water. Let it sit for 5 minutes. It should get all foamy and cray cray. It helps to treat your yeast like it’s Audrey II so sing to it “Oh pleeeease, grow for meeeee!”
2. Next, get a big mixing bowl and blend together your 1C of squash, your milk, Earth Balance, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and brown sugar. 
3. Add cinnamon and the yeast. Mix mix mix.
4. Now start adding your flour as you mix. You should need 5-6 cups. I needed 11. I actually liked the earthiness added by the oat flour, so I suggest using 2 parts wheat and one part oat and we will leave you on that note.
5. Knead your ball o’ dough for 5-10 minutes (until you get tired; we have to watch out for carpal tunnels). 
6. In a clean, oiled mixing bowl, place your dough ball and cover it with cling film and a dish towel. Let it sit for 2 hours. It should rise like the sun.
7. In the meantime, mix your filling ingredients together.
8. AFTER THE RISING: Roll out your dough in workable sections, making long rectangles about 1/4 inch thick. Cover with a layer of the filling. 
9. Roll longways, so you are left with a long roll, not a short and fat one. 
10. To cut them, get some UNFLAVORED dental floss. Using a knife to cut these babies would squash them (HAHA) and we don’t want to do that. We want to preserve their lovely round shape. So you take dental floss, place it underneath the loaf, and you criss-cross the ends to slice off pieces. See picture. Or ask me.
11. I cut into mini rolls in order to feed more people, about 1.5 inches long.
12. Lather rinse repeat until all the dough is cut.
13. Place your rolls onto a baking sheet and let rise for another hour. You can skip this rising but it would be dumb.
14. Preheat the oven to 350°.
15. Now, brush the tops with more of the filling (you should probably have some leftover). I kind of drowned mine in it, which made the buns absolutely so much better. Do that.
16. Bake for 18 minutes.
17. Eat half of them, share the others.

• 1 pint raw oyster mushrooms, cleaned (or whatever mushrooms you have)

For the marinade:

• 1/3C olive oil
• 1/3C water
• 1T balsamic vinegar
• 1t dried basil
• 1t dried oregano
• salt and pepper, probably 1t each
• juice from half a lemon

1. Clean the mushrooms. Everyone says you aren’t supposed to wash mushrooms but instead clean them with a towel. I’ve never followed this advice, but far be it from me to stop you
2. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a flat dish
3. Marinate the mushrooms for 30 minutes
4. Then, transfer mushrooms and some marinade to a saute pan and cook over medium-to-low heat for 3-4 minutes. They should lose a lot of water. Once they have sweated, cook for another 2-3 minutes on medium heat.

• 1C dried couscous
• 1 1/2C water
• 1 onion, diced small
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2t paprika
• 1/2t smoked paprika
• 1/2t ground cumin
• 1/2t ground coriander
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2C diced carrots
• 1/2C diced yellow squash
• 1/4C slivered almonds
• 1/4C chopped black olives
• 2T vegan butter
• handful parsley

1. Saute the onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil for about 5 minutes over medium high heat
2. Add the dried spices and bay leaf
3. Add the couscous and water, and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until couscous is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes
4. Meanwhile: in a small saucepan, saute the carrots and squash in a drop of olive oil until slightly browned. Add the almonds and olives about halfway through. I like to burn the almonds a little. 
5. Add the vegan butter and the contents of the small saucepan to the couscous
6. Top the couscous with parsley, and remove the bay leaf
7. Ta daaa!