Little Jakku Ration Buns | The Force Awakens: Rey's Story

The beautiful artwork for 
Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Rey's Story
is by Brian Rood.

"Rey's stomach growled as she poured the polystarch into a bowl, activating it with a splash of water. The powder quickly grew into a bread-like loaf. Dinner was ready."

– Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Rey's Story by Elizabeth Schaefer

          Along with reading Greg Rucka's Star Wars: Before the Awakening novel (see previous post) I also read Elizabeth Schaefer's chapter book Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Rey's Story with Smalls. It is a simplistic retelling of the events in "The Force Awakens" film (based on the screenplay), but only the events that Rey experienced, being written from her perspective. As I say, it's simplistic because it's a chapter book for young readers, but I liked the ease of it and the subtle depth it added to the characters and story overall. Also, because it was based on the screenplay, there are a couple of scenes that aren't in the film ;). 

          As far as food goes there's sizzling veg-meat, puffing polystarch, baked chushnips with fral, and a gag-inducing mystery drink. And as shown in Rey's Ghtroc meal in the previous post, here's the recipe for the little green ration buns! Perfect for a grab-n-go food, a side, or for a party!

Little Jakku Ration Buns

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Ingredients:
3 Packed Cups Fresh Spinach
3 Cups Water
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Tbsp. Butter
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 Tbsp. Sugar
2 1/4 tsp. Active Dry Yeast
2 1/2 Cup Bread Flour
1 Egg
1 Tbsp. Olive or Canola Oil
1 Tbsp Water
Sea Salt

Directions:
1. Bring the 3 cups of water to a boil, & then add in the spinach. Once the pot comes back to a boil, drain the spinach, reserving 1 cup of the liquid, & rinse the spinach in cold water.
2. Place the spinach into a food processor along with the liquid, & puree it. Strain the liquid into a pot on medium heat & set the pureed spinach aside to use shortly. Add the milk, butter, salt, & sugar to the pot & stir until foamy. Turn the heat to low & simmer for a few minutes. Remove the pot from the heat & let cool for about 15 minutes. Stir in the spinach.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yeast & flour. Make a well in the center & pour in the spinach/milk mixture. Mix on medium speed with a dough hook for about 8 minutes.
4. Put some olive or canola oil on your fingers & remove the dough from the bowl & shape into a ball. Spread a little bit of oil around the bowl, & then put the dough back in. Cover the bowl with a towel slightly damp with warm water & let rise for about 1 1/2 hours, or until about double in size.
5. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. With lightly oiled fingers, punch down the dough & shape into many equal, small balls, & then lay them out on the tray, about 1 1/2" apart. Cover with the towel & let rest & rise for about 15 minutes while you preheat your oven to 400ºF.
4. Whisk together the egg, oil, & water to make an egg wash. Uncover the dough balls, brush them with the egg wash, & sprinkle with sea salt. Slide into the oven & bake for about 12 minutes, or until the bottoms are just beginning to lightly brown. Remove the tray & carefully slide/lift the parchment with the buns off of the tray & let sit for a few minutes until cool enough to handle. To store, once completely cool place in a resealable plastic bag & keep at room temperature.