Rice Bread (Pirog)

This is one of our family’s traditional recipes, a regional Polish sweet bread with rice filling (From Breaking Bread: A Family History Preserved By Seven Sisters). It makes a wonderful tea bread!

Step: 1

Dissolve yeast in warm water; set aside.

Step: 2

Scald 1 cup milk, and combine with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter or margarine. Set aside to cool.

Step: 3

In a separate bowl beat eggs. Add eggs, vanilla, and pinch of salt to cooled milk mixture. Mix together. Add yeast mixture. Gradually add flour and raisins until dough comes away from the bowl. Knead the dough until pliable. Avoid handling the dough more than necessary! Place dough in a well oiled bowl. Set aside to rise until doubled in size in a draft free area.

Step: 4

Combine 2 cups cold milk, 1/4 cup sugar, and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Stir in rice, and bring to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon butter. Lower heat, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, until done. Set aside to cool.

Step: 5

Punch down the dough, and knead a couple of times. Place into the center of a 9 x 14 inch casserole dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and lightly floured. Spread dough in dish by patting gently to all sides. Let rise for 15 minutes.

Step: 6

Spread rice on top of dough, and pull sides up gently to form an envelope type design. Rice will show in center. Brush the top lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Step: 7

Place in a preheated 375 degree F (190 degrees C) oven. Lower temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden.

Per Serving: 288 calories; protein 6.4g; carbohydrates 47.5g; fat 8g; cholesterol 27.3mg; sodium 94.1mg.

The best flavour of the flour can make a real deal to your bread. Different makers do vary. Great taste or Canadian flours, which are naturally higher in gluten, may give you a better rise than standard bread flours – especially if you’re making wholemeal dough , which doesn’t always getting bigger as well as white bread.

To made this in a breadmaker , add all the ingredients to your breadmaker and follow the makers instructions.

A bread first rising can be make in the fridge overnight . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great limit , as you can start it night before , then finish it off the next day.