Cheeseburger Bierocks with Bacon

Of course, I'm using the term 'bierock' loosely, you will find no cabbage in this recipe. It is simply just a wonderful bread-y pocket of goodness, containing items with which I would normally like to top a hamburger patty. I started with my Aunt Deb's easy bread recipe. I was fearful. I've baked before, and it wasn't pretty. That calamitous experience created a loaf of bread was closer in consistency to chunks of granite than a soft, flavorful transport for butter. After a reassuring telephone call to my aunt, I decided to jump right into my kitchen and attempt to create an idea that had been spinning in my mind for a few days...a cheeseburger style bierock.

For the bread dough:

1 package yeast (fast rising or regular)
1 cup warm water
1 egg
1 T. oil
1 T. sugar
3 cups flour
Salt (as I type this, I realize I forgot this ingredient. Don't be like me. Use salt)

Combine warm water and yeast until dissolved. Add egg, oil, sugar and stir. Start by adding two cups flour. Mix well. Add additional flour until it's a nice dough consistency. (Don't ask me to define 'nice' dough consistency, I have no answer. I guess it just 'looks right') Put in an oiled bowl, cover with a cloth and allow to double in size, about half an hour. (I took my aunt's advice and allowed my oven to heat to about 200 degrees, then shut it off. I placed my dough in there to rise which worked well.)

For the filling:

1 pound hamburger, browned and seasoned, drained
1/2 onion, chopped and sauted
1 8oz. bag cheddar cheese
5 slices bacon, browned and crumbled

Mix all ingredients. Easy, huh?!

Assembly:

When dough has finished rising, lightly flour your workspace and rolling pin. Pull off a little chunk of dough and roll into a nice round shape. Put about a cup of the filling on the dough circle (mine were more of ellipses) and seal the edges to make a little pocket. Tip: don't allow any filling to touch the edges of the dough, it's darn near impossible to seal them shut if you do. Place the pockets sealed side down on a greased cookie sheet. You can brush on an egg wash if you'd like. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes, until the bread is nice and browned.

This recipe made about seven bierocks. These four were the prettiest. My other three were not so pretty. This is gonna take practice. I served these little jewels with some ketchup and mustard. Next time, I might put a little mayo on there too.

I was really expecting this recipe to take a lot of toil. It didn't, it was really pretty easy. I dirtied lots of dishes in the process, but that's okay. Two dishwasher loads instead of one, no big deal.