Piragi recipe

Latvian crescent buns of slightly sweet yeast dough filled with raw diced smoked fatty bacon and onion that render inside the dough as they bake.

3 hours and 5 minutesmedium11 ingredients

Ingredients

• 250 g smoked fatty bacon
• 500 g wheat flour
• 250 ml milk
• 75 g butter
• 25 g fresh yeast
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 onion
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg

How to make Piragi

1. Cut 250 g of smoked fatty bacon into 5 mm cubes by hand; never mince it, the small cubes are what give piragi their texture.
2. Mix the bacon with 1 finely chopped onion, 1/2 teaspoon of caraway seeds and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, then chill the filling while you make the dough.
3. Crumble 25 g of fresh yeast into 250 ml of warm milk with 2 tablespoons of sugar and leave it 10 minutes until it foams.
4. Work the yeast milk into 75 g of wheat flour with 75 g of melted butter, 1 egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of salt, then knead 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
5. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 to 1.5 hours until doubled; this slow rise is what makes the bun tender rather than bready.
6. Roll the dough 3 mm thick, cut 8 cm discs, put a teaspoon of the raw bacon filling on each, fold into a half moon and pinch the edge firmly so no fat escapes.
7. Set the buns seam side down on a lined tray, curve them into crescents and let them prove for a further 20 minutes.
8. Brush with the remaining beaten egg and bake at 200 °C for 15 to 18 minutes until deep golden.
9. Cool on a rack under a cloth so the crust softens, and serve warm.

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