Bacon Buns (Latvian) 2016 and 2021: for Bacon Lovers (2024)

Christmas Bacon Buns 2016: Refreshing Photo Instructions from Bacon Buns 2009

The fragrant dough encasing the smoky unctuous irresistible bacon buns filling casts this little parcel into the seriously addictive and undeniably unforgettable realm. It is a savory offering that those you share it with will accept with the reverence and revelry required to celebrate the flavours of goodness, the hand of friendship and the heartfelt warmth of the holiday season together.

Small little yeasty oblong puffs.

Unassuming.

Yet so laden with unexpected deliciousness.

A basket of warm Bacon Buns at breakfast, a napkin full of them mid-morning, a plate of one or two late in the evening… anytime of the day, they offer comfort and deep satisfaction.

As a child, Linda Celmainis used to save me one or two and I would cherish visiting her for this exotic and foreign pleasure in my youth. Many, many years later (38 to be exact), we reconnected and she shared her recipe with me and taught me how to make them. That compelling and cherished story is here. The story behind the food adds that irresistible je ne sais quoi. When making these buns, I am drawn to those water coloured memories of my youth in Linda’s kitchen, drinking her strong black Latvian coffee and feeling so grown up. She had no idea the mark she had made upon my heart and her bacon buns will forever connect me to her and that time in my life. This post is simply a straight forward “how to make the bacon buns” with step by step instructions and better photographs than I knew or was able to take in 2009.

Bacon Buns: Making the Dough

Mis en place, above: always such an important first step with any recipe. When organized, far less mistakes happen and it takes no longer to get the ingredients out than it does to “get the ingredients out”. You don’t do it twice. You only do it once. There are just more dishes, however, an entire system of checks and balances are already in place to ensure success that is missed when this step is left out. Your ingredient list is measured, and in place, but you haven’t read the instructions yet. Now is the time, and as you do this, there is a logical check for ingredient amounts. It is slick. If I ever have a bad day in the kitchen, it is usually because I miss this step.

Lucky me. I have a Thermomix machine that not only mills grains and legumes, but it kneads dough, so I use it. I weigh all ingredients into my machine and proceed as I do with any dough recipe. The instructions for making this by hand, which is so gratifying as well, are below in the recipe. Above, the milk, butter, sugar, eggs and salt were weighed into the bowl and scalded, then cooled enough to add the eggs through the hole in the lid. One cup of flour, cardamom and yeast were then added and mixed to combine.

Remaining flour is added and dough is kneaded. It is a very, very sticky fragrant dough. See below.

Thermomix bowl is almost always clean when making bread as it just pulls away from the bowl; however, the remainder of the dough will need to be scraped from the sides of the bowl and me added to the mix.

A very lightly floured surface makes all the difference.

Using a D-shaped spatula, form the dough into a ball and plop it into the prepared buttered proofing bowl.

Cover with a damp cloth and set aside to proof for an hour, or until double in size.

Bacon Buns: Making the Filling

The filling for the buns should be done before starting the dough, as it must be room temperature or cool to fill the buns properly.

Sautú the lardons and minced onion together until brown and translucent, but not crispy. See below.

Strain off the rendered fat, cover and chill until ready to use.

Bacon Buns: Shaping and Filling the Dough

Once the dough has proofed, using a D-shaped spatula, remove half of the dough from the bowl, portioning out individual bun sizes to 30 grams or one ounce each.

Making one at a time, flatten one portion of dough into a disc using the palm of your hand. Place a good bit of filling onto it and pinch the sides of the dough up over the filling, tucking in the end to form an oblong loaf shape.

Place seam side down a reasonable distance apart from each other on parchment covered baking sheet.

Portioning dough, some buns made already on the sheet in the background.

Bacon Buns: Baking the Buns

Once the pan is ready, proof buns again 30 to 45 minutes, or until doubled in size. Bake for 12 minutes until golden brown.

Brush immediately with butter when out of the oven for a soft sheen.

Of course! Tear one open! The aroma is intoxicating. The cardamom adds a special je ne sais quoi that is quite compelling. And, well, the bacon filling, simple as it is, is spectacular enrobed in a yeasty warm bun. Nothing more needed. Except another one!