Ukrainian potato and bacon stuffed bread

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Start with the dough. Crumble the yeast into a bowl, add the sugar, and let the mixture dissolve, adding a splash of water or milk if needed.

   Heat 300 ml water in a small saucepan to approximately 40 °C (104 °F), then remove from the heat. In a separate pot, bring 1 liter of water to a boil.

2. Add the yeast and sugar mixture and a pinch of salt to the warm water in the small saucepan and stir well. Add about 320 g flour and 2 tbsp oil and begin kneading, gradually adding the remaining flour. Cover the dough in the saucepan with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for about 40 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Peel and rinse the potatoes, then add them to the large pot of boiling water to cook.

   Bring approximately 300 ml water to a boil in a small saucepan and add the buckwheat, using a 2:1 ratio of water to buckwheat. Cover and cook the buckwheat.

4. Dice the bacon and cook it in a skillet until the fat has rendered and only crisp bacon pieces remain. Meanwhile, dice the onions, finely grate the carrot, and crush or mince the garlic. Mix the vegetables together, add them to the bacon, and sauté until the onions are golden.

5. Mash the potatoes and stir in the cooked bacon and vegetables along with the drained buckwheat, keeping excess water out of the filling. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

   Roll out the risen dough into a square approximately 40 × 40 cm and about 1 cm thick.

6. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving about 10 cm clear around the edges. Bring the corners of the dough together in the center of the square and seal.

7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F). Transfer the bread to the baking sheet, brush with the beaten egg, and bake for approximately 40 minutes.

Tip: Press the dough seams firmly together with your fingers in the center so they do not open during baking. Let the baked bread rest for 15 minutes before slicing so the filling can settle and will not crumble.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Ukrajinský plnený chlebík so zemiakmi a slaninou