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Bacon Buns

Latvian Bacon Buns 2021

This recipe will make about 76 bacon buns with the dough at one ounce or 50 grams each. If you make them smaller as most seem inclined to do, it will make more! If making the dough in a TM31 Thermomix machine, halve the recipe and do it twice; works great in the TM5 Machine. Linda Celmainis taught me how to make these buns decades after meeting her and working for her. They are really delicious and this is a remake of my original post with clearer step by step images and instructions, and additional filling instruction change by her daughter, Diane, but the story is magic in the original post, and a must read.

Course Dough
Cuisine Latvian
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 12 minutes
Servings 72 buns
Author Valerie Lugonja via Linda Celmainis

Ingredients

Ingredients for Bacon Buns Dough in order, by hand:

  • 100 grams or ½ cup warm water
  • 30 grams or 2 tablespoons yeast
  • 5 grams or 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 580 grams or 2 ½ cups whole milk
  • 220 grams or 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 50 grams or ¼ cup sugar
  • 5 grams or 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 free range know-your-farmer organic eggs (with beautiful dark yellow yolks)
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon cardamom (Linda's Secret)
  • 720 grams or 6 cups white flour

Ingredients for Bacon Buns Dough, in order, with Thermomix:

  • 100 grams or ½ cup warm water
  • 5 grams or 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 580 grams or 2 ½ cups whole milk
  • 220 grams or 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 50 grams or ¼ cup sugar
  • 5 grams or 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 free range know-your-farmer organic eggs (with beautiful dark yellow yolks)
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon cardamom (Linda's secret)
  • 30 grams or 2 tablespoons yeast
  • 120 grams or 1 cup white flour
  • 600 grams or 5 cups white flour

Ingredients for Filling:

  • 1 kilo (one generous kilo) of really good double smoked bacon*, cut into lardons
  • one large yellow onion , minced
  • freshly ground black pepper , to taste (quite a bit)

Ingredients for Garnish

  • 2 know-your-farmer large organic eggs, whisked (for egg wash)

Instructions

Instructions for Making Dough by Hand:

  1. Place yeast, water and sugar in bowl; set aside for 15 minutes for yeast to proof (should triple in size)
  2. Scald milk and butter; add salt and sugar
  3. Whisk eggs
  4. Temper eggs by adding ¼ cup of hot milk and butter mixture to eggs; add tempered eggs back into milk and butter mixture
  5. Mix two cups of flour with cardamom into wet ingredients; pour yeast mixture and combine
  6. Fold in remaining flour and knead; set aside to proof (about an hour)

Instructions for Making Dough via Thermomix Machine:

  1. Place small bowl on lid of Thermomix and weigh yeast, 120 grams flour and cardamom; set aside

  2. Prepare proofing bowl with butter; set aside

  3. Place water, sugar, milk, butter, sugar and salt into mixing bowl; scald for 5 min/ 60°C/ speed 2

  4. Cool 5 minutes or until temperature is at 45°C and set time for 7 min/40°C/speed 3.5 and add eggs through hole in lid, one at a time; once temperature reaches 40°C, or after 2-3 minutes; add set aside pre-weighed yeast/flour/cardamon mixture through hole in lid, and combine

  5. Add remaining 600 grams flour into mixing bowl; stir to combine for 30 sec/ speed 3, until starting to form a ball

  6. Set for 3 min/Knead and remove sticky dough from bowl with spatula onto a very lightly floured work surface

  7. Using a D-shaped spatula, form sticky dough into a ball shape and place into a well buttered bowl to proof; cover with damp cloth and set aside until double in size (about 60 minutes)

Instructions for Making Filling for Bacon Buns:

  1. Use one huge onion, peeled and minced (a generous cup)

  2. Slice bacon thinly into lardons

  3. Combine with hands in medium bowl, add pepper and mix well until fully incorporated

Instructions for Filling and Shaping Bacon Buns:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F
  2. After dough has proofed (doubled in size), remove half with D-shaped spatula onto lightly floured work surface; place remainder back into the covered container until ready to use

  3. Weigh dough into one ounce or 30 gram portions (36 to 38 total) and working with one at a time, flatten with palm of hand to small disc (to hold a generous teaspoon of bacon filling)

  4. Place generous teaspoon of filling into dough disc

  5. Pinch sides of dough together over filling lengthwise, like a loaf and pinch or tuck in ends to complete loaf shape

  6. Place on parchment lined baking sheet, leaving generous amount of space between each for rising; set to proof again before baking (30-45 minutes)

Garnish with Egg Wash and Bake

  1. Gently brush proofed dough with egg wash

  2. Bake at 400°F for 12 minutes and immediately upon removing from oven; place on cooling rack

  3. These freeze beautifully, if they last that long