Everyone has an opinion when it comes to the best piragi – Latvian bacon rolls that are a must-serve at any meaningful gathering. This is mine.
Filling:
1 pound bacon, cut in tiny cubes – not maple, that would be weird
1 pound ham, cut in tiny cubes – important to keeping the piragi plump and meaty
1 onion, cut in tiny cubes
Salt and pepper to taste – be generous, or the result will be VERY bland!
Fry up until the bacon is slightly wilted. Pour into a colander and let the fat drain off until the dough is ready.
Dough:
3 tbsp, or 3 packages dry yeast
½ cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
2 ½ cups milk
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt - be generous!
½ cup butter
2 eggs – purists just use the yolks, but if you forget to separate them, don’t stress, it’ll be ok
6 cups flour, or more
another egg for the egg wash glaze
-Sprinkle yeast over warm water and sugar and let rise 10 minutes. A great way to do this is to put a deep pan of hot water on the lower rack in the oven, and put the stuff to rise on an upper rack. Keep the oven door closed with the heat off, and create a warm, moist and inspirational environment for the yeast.
-Scald the milk in a saucepan, add sugar, salt, and butter. Cool to lukewarm, add 3 ½ cups flour, eggs and yeast. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and shiny. Replace pan of hot water with a fresh pan, cover bowl of dough and let rise in the oven for 15 minutes.
-Turn out on a floured table, add remaining flour and knead until the dough is elastic and comes off your hands. You may need to add more flour than the recipe calls for. Knead it a bit and see.
-Take a good handful of dough and squeeze it out into an inch-thick snake. Chop off 1 ½ inch long segments and pat a segment into a 2-3 inch wide circular patty. Take a teaspoon of the filling and put it on one half of the patty. Flip the other half over, pinch the seam closed and place the pirags on a greased cookie sheet with the seam tucked underneath the pirags. Repeat with the next chopped off segment. They can be placed quite close together on the pan.
-Egg wash the piragi, stab three little vent holes in each, and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes until golden.
- Makes 80-100 rolls, depending on how elegantly tiny you are able to roll them. The whole process will take you about 3 hours.
The revolutionary thing about this recipe is the minimal rising time. It makes for a ‘’thin-crust’’ pirags, and minimizes the possibility of them gaping open as they rise and cook in the oven. Being vigilant about keeping grease out of the seam is also important for keeping the little buggers closed.
