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BACON & ONION SWEET ROLLS (Latvia)
A family treat that came from Latvia. Reassembled from memory. Take a full day, multiply the recipe by four and bring in kids to knead the ingredients into the dough. The filling creates a wonderful taste sensation as it plays against the Sweet Bread. Great with a 'pint' & can be reheated in the microwave. Hard to save 'cause they go too fast. Freeze and use any left over filling on baked potatoes later, or warmed and used in a salad.
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Chop 4 large onions finely. Simmer in olive oil in a cast iron skillet.
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Chop a pound or so of slab bacon into cubes and add to onions. Add to the onions and allow to simmer away slowly in the background. Don't be in a hurry. The onions will brown & the bacon will cook thoroughly in their own juices for an hour or so. Stir regularly.
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Cool and drain off the fat.
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When your Sweet Dough is ready for the final kneading, create a 'bowl' with your thumbs into a handful of dough and gently work the edges of the dough around the filling. This is where the 'art' comes in….kids, grandkids and 'big' kids usually have a bit of a competition at this point to compare style & approach.
Basic Sweet Dough:
2 pkgs. Active dry yeast ½ cup sugar
1 cup lukewarm water 1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar 6 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk 2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup butter 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
Sprinkle yeast into lukewarm water, add 2 teaspoons sugar, let stand for 10 minutes, then stir. Scald milk; add butter, sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm and add softened yeast; mix together. Add half of the flour to make a thick batter; beat well. Add eggs and lemon rind; beat well. Stir in remaining flour, using only enough to make a soft dough that does not stick to hands or bowl. Turn out on a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and satiny - about 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl; turn dough over to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size - about 1 ½ hours. Punch down and knead lightly. Shape into small bowls and add bacon & onion filling, then work dough over to form rolls. Place on greased pans, cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size - about 1 hour. Bake at 375 degrees F. 15 - 20 minutes for rolls. A nice touch is to baste soft butter onto the tops about ½ way through the cooking process & again when you take them out of the oven. Watch them disappear. Ours come out 1 ½ times the size of a homemade hamburger bun, 'cause we love the filling….you will quickly develop your own style and tradition.
