Bake
Queso Fundido Bierock
- Prep time 2 hours 15 minutes
- Cook time 40 minutes
- makes 9 bierock
Author Notes
Depending where you are looking for a delicious stuffed bread in this world - it can be known by many different names. I grew up in Kansas, where we refer to these round stuffed breads as bierock. The bierock is one of many similar pastries you can find throughout the United States that followed a long line of tweaks and adaptations after originating from Russian pirozhki - which boast a soft dough stuffed with a (frequently savory) filling. Bierock is the name that was ultimately given to the German interpretation of this bake, which are still wildly popular in many areas of the United States that have large Russian and/or German populations. These were a special savory treat among many sweet options at German bakeries, and I loved to snag them - whatever they were filled with. This particular bierock features a non-traditional filling inspired by queso fundido. Inside the fluffy bread, you’ll find lots of melty, stretchy Oaxaca cheese alongside plenty of chorizo. (If you can’t find Oaxaca, you can substitute low moisture mozzarella or brick cheese instead.) These are best served warm. They can be reheated in the toaster oven or microwave—or to re-heat in the oven, wrap each pastry in foil, and warm at 350°F for 15 minutes. —Erin Jeanne McDowell
Test Kitchen Notes
Excerpted from Savory Baking: Recipes for Breakfast, Dinner, and Everything in Between 2022 by Erin Jeanne McDowell. Reproduced by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. —Food52
Ingredients
- For the dough:
-
1 1/4 cups
(290 grams) whole milk
-
5 cups
(600 grams) all-purpose flour
-
1/4 cup
(50 grams) granulated sugar
-
1 tablespoon
(10 grams) instant dry yeast
-
1 1/2 teaspoons
(6 grams) fine sea salt
-
1
large (56 grams) egg, at room temperature
-
1
large (21 grams) egg yolk, at room temperature
-
3 tablespoons
(45 grams) unsalted butter
- For filling & finishing:
-
16 ounces
(454 grams) ground chorizo
-
1 bunch
scallions, thinly sliced (about 140 grams)
-
3
garlic cloves, minced (about 15 grams)
-
16 ounces
(454 grams) queso Oaxaca, diced
-
Egg Wash: 1 large (56 grams) egg + 1 tablespoon (15 grams) water + pinch kosher salt)
Directions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium-low heat until it reaches about 110°F/45°C. Remove from the heat.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt on low speed to combine. Add the warm milk, egg, egg yolk, and butter and mix for 4 minutes. Raise the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth, about 2 minutes more.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until visibly puffy, 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- While the dough rises, prep the filling. Heat a large skillet over medium heat until it’s nice and hot. Crumble the chorizo into the hot skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is well browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the excess fat off of the pan (I save this in a small jar and use it when I cook eggs for breakfast!) Remove the drained chorizo from the heat, transfer to a medium bowl.
- Add the scallions and garlic and toss to combine. Cool the mixture to room temperature. Add the cheese and mix to combine. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- When the dough has risen, divide the dough into 9 equal pieces (about 120 grams each), and round each piece into a ball. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, use your hands to gently press and stretch the dough into a circle about 6 inches wide (15 cm)—you can use a rolling pin if you like to help make the thickness even, I just find working it with my hands gets the best final shape!
- Scoop a heaping ¼ cup (about 60 grams) of the filling into the center of the dough. Fold the excess dough over the filling to fully encase it, and pinch the seams well to seal. Gently round the dough to help flatten the seams. If needed, use a few drops of water applied to where the dough meets to ensure they are well sealed.
- As you shape them, transfer the bierocks to the prepared baking sheets, staggering them into rows. Use the palm of your hand to gently flatten each pastry by pressing gently down.
- Cover the shaped pastries with greased plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the dough is visibly puffy. Toward the end of rise time, heat the oven to 350°F/175°C with the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
- Uncover the pastries, and egg wash the surface and sides evenly. Transfer the oven and bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking, until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving warm.
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