Pulse the mushrooms in a food processor until you get small, rice size pieces.

Do the same for the onion. Slice into quarters before adding to the food processor.

In a large (12 inch+) skillet, add mushrooms, onions, ground beef, garlic powder, and salt.

Crumble fry (break the ground beef apart into crumbles as it cooks) on medium heat until the ground beef is cooked through (no longer pink).

Add the lentils, ¾ cup water, dehydrated chopped onion, nutritional yeast, and beef bouillon paste.

Reduce heat to low.

Cover and simmer until the lentils are soft and blend into the meat (about 15 minutes). Stir every few minutes and add a few tablespoons of water at a time, if needed, to cook the lentils.

Stir together the milk and the cornstarch.

Once the lentils are cooked and most of the moisture has cooked away (the mixture is thick and paste-like, not soupy. You're looking for a filling that holds its shape on a spoon with no liquid pooling around it.), stir in the milk/cornstarch slurry and cook until the filling has thickened.

Remove from heat and transfer to a container to cool completely in the fridge. A warm filling will prevent the dough from sealing. It should cool sufficiently while you move on to preparing the dough. The filling could also be made the day prior and kept in the fridge.

Heat the milk until warm to the touch (like bath water), but not hot (around 110°F or 43°C). This can be done either in the microwave or in a pot on the stove.

Meanwhile, add the oil, eggs, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with a fork by hand until combined.

Slowly pour in the heated milk while whisking with the fork.

Measure out 8 cups of flour and stir in the instant yeast.

Add 4 cups of the yeast + flour mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer. Using the kneading hook, combine on low speed (some lumps are okay).

Add the yeast/flour mix, one cup at a time, until you’ve added it all.

At this point, slowly add a few tablespoons of additional flour at a time until you get a dough that’s soft and slightly tacky, but doesn’t stick to your hands. If your mixer struggles or the dough climbs up the hook, finish kneading by hand.

Cover the bowl with a tea towel.

Allow to rise on the counter until doubled (about 45-60 minutes). If your house is cold, you can turn the light on in the oven and place it inside to rise.

Using a 1 tablespoon size cookie scoop, pre-scoop the meat filling. You should get about 75 scoops.

Divide the dough into 75 pieces, about 30g each, roughly the size of a ping pong ball. If you're not weighing, cut the dough in half, then each half into quarters, then divide each piece into about nine or ten.

Cover the dough pieces with a tea towel to prevent them from drying out.

Flatten each into a three-inch disc. If the dough is sticky, keep a small amount of flour on a plate. Dab the piece of dough in the flour and flatten.

Place a scoop of filling in the centre and pull the dough up and around and pinch together to seal.

Place the filled dough seam side down on a well greased baking sheet, leaving one inch in between to allow space to rise.

Cover with a tea towel and place in a warm spot.

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Allow the buns to rise for about 20 minutes or until the buns are puffy. You’ll know they’re ready when you gently press an indent with your finger and it fills back in slowly instead of quickly.