Saturday, January 21, 2012

Töpörtyüs Pogácsa-Hungarian (crackling) Biscuits



This is a difficult emotional task for me...I have actually made my Hungarian tepertős...or töpörtyüs pogácsa...a savory bacon bits biscuits...strictly Hungarian style, that is from my childhood!...one caution! Do not attempt to make this, unless you want a real challenge, or it's a childhood memory recall!...It's a huge challenge, and takes about 4 to 5 hours of folding, resting, rolling out the dough at least 3 times. I did have a Weight Watchers recipe for you (will have to post it next time)...made a delicious Manhattan Clam Chowder, which was in the cookbook.

I actually made a batch and scored the top...but when I baked it it had a "mind of its own" but all is well, they are incredibly delicious! 

As you can see...these biscuits turned out so flaky, savory, and delicious. A lot of work, but they were worth every minute of it!




Hungarian Pogacsa with pork cracklings ...Töpörtyus Pogácsa
adapted from: three different sources

4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cold butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tbsp dry instant yeast
2 cups finely chopped töpörtyü,
 or crispy bacon
2 eggs, beaten with a fork
1-2 cup white wine
1 1/4 cups  Greek style yogurt
(I used Chobani)
1 egg
2 whole eggs beaten, for brushing

Make the the töpörtyü first. You will need 2 lbs for this recipe.(Click on the link) You can refrigerate them for a few days, and when you are ready to use them, chop them fine. Better yet, chop them in the food processor
 (which I will do next time)












In a large bowl, add the 4 1/2 cup flour. Add 1/2 cup of warm water in a cup and add the 2Tbsp dry yeast to desolve and bubble up as in photo.
















Cut the butter in small pieces and add it to the flour, along with the salt, and mix with a pastry blender







Add the yeast and mix it into the flour, with a wooden spoon.












In a small bowl, mix the yogurt with the egg, and the 1/2 cup white wine, and add that as well to the flour mixture.










Now, here comes the fun part...you get to mix all these ingredients with your hands until they combine, and work it well together





















On a floured board, or clean counter, knead the dough several times until nice and elastic and not sticking to the board.











Place in an oiled bowl, turn over, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap, an place a clean towel on it. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.











After the 30 minutes rest, roll out the dough as thin as possible, and scatter half the cracklings on it.













Now, fold over carefully envelope style, from the left, the right, and from each end to enclose.













It should look like a square, all 4 sides enclosed.













Cover with a clean dishtowel, and let it rest for about 20 minutes.













Roll the dough out again, into a 12 x 9 inches form, from and follow the same procedure, by sprinkling the second half of the cracklings on it, and fold up again, and let it rest for another 20 minutes.

(Aren't you tired yet, from just following these procedures?) Well, like I said, you need about 4 to 5 hrs. work on this, but so well worth it.







Score the dough with a sharp knife but careful not to cut through the dough. (this is where I messed up, scoring it too deep) Brush half the amount of the egg wash on it.











Cut out rounds, with a small biscuit cutter. (As you can see I messed up my nice pattern when I brushed it with the egg wash, so the scoring is not uniform) If I recall, my mother used to brush the biscuits with the egg wash, carefully, and separately. Will have to improve on the the next time.


You can re-roll the scrap dough and start again, cutting them out. The second time, I did not score the tops.





Place the pogácsa (biscuits) on a parchment lined baking sheet, let them rest uncovered for 20 minutes...bake in a preheated 425 degrees F oven for about 15-18 minutes, until it gets nice and golden brown on the top.










I'm really not happy the way the scored top turned out, but they are all light, crispy on the top, and bottom, and oh, so delicious. Eat them as snacks, of with a nice bowl of soup, or as a bread substitute with any meal. Well worth all the effort and work you put into it!
I ended up with about 4 dozen of these small treasures. Serve them while they are warm, or at room temperature.

Note:If you have leftovers, freeze them in a plastic container, and re-heat them in a 325 degrees F. oven for a few minutes, and they will be just as fresh as they were on the day you baked them...maybe even better!
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47 comments:

Kati said...

imádom a töpörtyűs pogácsát, nálunk Nagymamám süti a legfinomabbat, igazán szépek lettek a tieid is:)

Petra said...

A töpörtyű sütés óta várom! Nagyon szépek lettek és biztosan nagyon finomak is. :)

Elisabeth said...

Hát bizony igy vagyunk, a Nagymamánk tudják a legfinomabb régi dolgokat sütni. Ez volt az első töpörtyüs pogácsám amit teljesen egyedül sütöttem!

Jane said...

Elisabeth, They truly look scrumptious - if only I could reach into my computer screen...! I can tell they are a labour of love - just not sure how they fit in with your diet... but I'll take your word for it... hehe!!
I agree, they would be a fantastic bread substitute - and I'd happily substitute bread any day for these lovelies :)

Elisabeth said...

Jane-I have to be honest with you, they do not fit into my WW diet...gave them all to my family, and kept a few for myself. I did eat at least 6...feeling guilty, for about 3 minutes...ha, ha! They are cut with just about the smallest biscuit cutter! So, we shall see this weekend when I weigh myself!

Kathy said...

Elizabeth, These are stunning! They look so yummy and delicious! I might just have to give these a try! I'm sure one or two will be ok with your diet! You're doing great!

Becky said...

Elisabeth, Too bad you had all of the work to make these yummy biscuits, and couldn't eat that many. I'm sure your family appreciated these biscuits made with love, though.

Gizi said...

Elisabeth, ezek a pogácsák csodálatosak!!! Bizony jó sok időt fordítottál a pogácsasütésre, na de a végeredmény magáért beszél, gyönyörű szépek lettek, na és biztosan nagyon finomak. Nem fogod elhinni, de ma én is töpörtyűs pogácsát sütöttem.:)) Igaz az enyémek kicsit eldőltek, lehet sok bort tettem bele és berúgtak.:)))

Sajnos nem illik a diétánkba, de olvasom Te is elcsábultál. Én is megettem 4 darabot, de olyan finom, hogy ennyi kis bűnözést csak megengedhettünk magunknak.

Veronica's Kitchen said...

Thanks for sharing the recipe and your childhood memory with it. It's great that they come out great with all this folding and kneading!

Gina said...

I see why you wanted to go back and revisit you childhood with these. These sell pork cracklings in the Mexcian market. I bet these were light and fluffy sounds like puff pastry. Good thing you gave them away, they would have been dangerous over here too. Glad you are doing so good with your program. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
-Gina-

Zsuzsa said...

Elisabeth these look so good! Congratulations! I agree with you, it takes a bit of an effort to make them. But then a lot Hungarian dishes are like that, maybe that is why they taste so good.

ping said...

"Do not attempt to make this"??!! After showing us all that delicious-ness and after you've got me drooling?! This is torture!
Ah yes, solution ... visit Florida *wink*

WineDineDivas said...

Nagyon szépek es mutatosak lettek a pogácsák. Mi is nagyon szeretjuk a töpörtyűst. Koszönjuk a szép fotot is....

Country Gourmet Traveler said...

Yes, a big recipe, time consuming and obviously delicious, I will still try it out, even when I have no childhood memories of this dish, being Swiss and not Hungarian, but I like a good challenge

Pegasuslegend said...

I a word....... Outstanding!!!

Torviewtoronto said...

biscuits look wonderful

LaraQ said...

I just made these today from a combination of different recipes. My mom who's Romanian made them while I was growing up. They didn't rise as much as yours did but they were very tasty. :)

http://a_boleyn.livejournal.com/78777.html

Elpiniki said...

I ve never had anything like this! They look great!

Lizzy said...

Oh, gosh, I'm so glad you took the time to bake these beauties! I've never seen such flaky biscuits...WOW! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend...I'm playing catch up :) xo

Angie's Recipes said...

whoa..bacon biscuits...they are gorgeous, scored or not!

Monet said...

Oh my friend, these look divine. Such fluffy and flavorful biscuits. I hope you have a blessed Sunday full of laughter and good food. We are about to go grocery shopping...hopefully we'll still be smiling once we're done!

SKIP TO MALOU said...

they look absolutely divine. i could almost smell the fresh bread and i felt the crumbs falling off my screen haha. Now how many points is this? haha.. but I have been enjoying making breads as well. I'm a novice baker but with breads i'm A ok haha i just couldn't do much of cakes and other pastries.
happy sunday elisabeth!
malou

Elisabeth said...

Malou-they are at least 2 points each little biscuits, and I had at least 6 in 2 days, gave the rest away to family, and froze some, as well. They are very good...maybe even better to heat them straight from the freezer in a 325 degree F. oven. Happy Sunday, to you too!

Priya said...

Wat a prefectly baked biscuits, looks absolutely stunning and incredible..

wendyweekendgourmet said...

These look AMAZING...bacon and these gorgeous golden biscuits? I could eat a dozen of these by myself...they would be a fantastic partner to a nice, healthy soup!

Rosemary said...

These are indeed, simply wonderful. I just finished making some corn muffins to go along with a chili -- wish I would have come here first! (I even used yogurt -- just no bacon!) A deserved splurge.

Amelia's De-ssert said...

Hi Elisabeth, your biscuit looks absolutely delicious and tempting. I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I'd received your parcel the day before yesterday, hop over to my blog which I just update. Thank you so much, my dear friend.
Have a nice weekend.

The Harried Cook said...

Hi Elisabeth - I've been away from blogging for a while now, and I come back to THIS? You are dangerous... Dangerous - but oh so good! This is calling out my name... Thank you for sharing this... Will attempt it sooner than I plan to! :D

the Junkie book said...

these are stunningly beautiful. i dont even dream of trying them out but am so proud that you had a great success with these!!!

Lizzy said...

PS...thanks for your sweet words of condolence. You are such a dear. xo

egycsipet said...

Hú, ez egyszerűen szuper lett! Töpörtyűs pogácsát még nem sütöttem, főleg nem saját sütésű töpörtyűből, minden elismerésem, le a kalappal előtted! :)

Katerina said...

Usually all great things need work and effort. Indeed they look delicious!

Carmen Anderson said...

Elisabeth, these look so perfect and mouth-watering! Will definitely try this recipe out soon! ( maybe a little complicate from me.... but i will definitely have a go at it ! ) They remind me of those fruit scones that i used to get in England. We eat them with butter and Jam and a cuppa tea. mmmmmm Thanks for sharing!

Pacheco Patty said...

Elisabeth-these biscuits look outstanding in your photos! They really sound like a labor of love to make, thanks for sharing such a unique recipe with all your childhood memories tied into the story. I like the scored tops, it gives them a rustic look that I find very appealing. Hope you're off to a good start to your week and I wouldn't worry about a few extra calories from your biscuits, lots of time this week to make up for it!

wanna said...

Gyönyörűek a pogácsák, mi nagyon kedveljük , sajnos én még nem sütöttem pogácsát, ez eddig anyukám resortja volt. De sosem késő elkezdeni.

Csilla said...

Gyönyörűséges! Nagyon szeretjük!! :)

Chocolate cake recipes said...

Very good!! High in fat so dont make it a regular habit but they are awesome.

Raspberry Angel Cake

Michael Toa said...

They look absolutely incredible! Oh my, oh my... Bacon-y scones? What is not to like?!

Fab Find Foodie said...

These looks sensational!!! I am not a huge fan of biscuits, mainly because I haven't figured out how to make a really good one, but wow....these are gorgeous!!! I must try these.

BTW...I hope you're doing well! (We met at FoodBuzz.) :)

Angela

Lyndsey said...

These look amazing and this has my name all over it...I know I wouldn't be able to stop eating them. I could stop at one if it were sweets, but not this! I will have to drive down to your house to try it...:) please!!! :) I can be there in no time!

Elisabeth said...

Lyndsey-Please, do drive down...it will only take you 5 hrs, from the West Coast, Florida. This way, I have an excuse to make another batch again, and you could take most of it home with you...now, how's that for a generous offer?

Katalin said...

Gyönyörűek lettek a pogácsáid! Örülök, hogy rátaláltam a blogodra, sok szépet készítesz. Erdélyi felmenőktől lehet is tanulni :)
Ha érdekel a Pilis, oda is bejelentkezhetsz követőnek, mostanában folyamatosan fogok feltenni képeket erre a blogomra is.

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Ronald Hari said...

I am pastor of a Hungarian Church in Bethlehem, PA and make these a couple times a year...GREAT WITH A BOTTLE OF BEER... I make strudel every week. About 50 double rolls ... many flavors ... Cabbage, Apple, Cheese, Turnip, etc. Which keeps the Church going.