Baking these Savory Cracklin’ Biscuits has been a long term plan of mine. These tiny savory biscuits are made with a pork crackling filling and are often served as an ‘elenvenses’ snack in Europe. Elevenses is the British term for a midmorning snack and there is a similar term for this mid-day bite in Hungary. This is where I enjoyed these delighful bites while visiting family in Budapest years ago and I finally found the time and the ingredients to complete the plan. I’m glad I did as they are delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 cup pork crackling from 2-3 lb pork but or shoulder
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- kosher salt
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp dry yeast
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 7 tbsp unsalted butter cold
- 1 whole egg
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 4-6 tbsp milk
Instructions
Gather all iingredients before starting recipe
Pork Crackling
- Prepare 1 cup pork crackling from a 2-3 pork shoulder by cutting the fat and rind, if any, into 1" cubes. Set in medium sized saucepan and cook on low heat until the fat has rndered and the crackling has developed a golden brown color.
- Strain the pork crackling andf reserve rendered fat for another use. Transfer the pork to a food processor and add 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste. Pulse until the cracklin resembles course meal and creates a rough spread.
Buiscuit Dough
- Prepare yeast mixture with 2 tbsp dry yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of warm water. Allow to proof for 10 minutes.
- Add 2 cups flourand 2 tsp kosher salt to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Cube 7 tbsp unsalted butter and add to the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles crumbles, about 5 minutes.
- When the dough is crumbly, add the yeast mixture, 1 whole egg and 1/2 cup sour cream and mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Add a flour a tablespoonful at a time if the dough seems a little loose.
- Form the dough into a ball and cover the dough and allow to rise for 2 hours or refrigerate overnight.
- After the dough has risen, sprinkle a board with flour and roll out the dough into a 15" x 15" square. (Note: The dough can be covered and refrigerated overnight after the first rising.)
- Spread the cracklin paste in the food processor evenly on the dough.
- Fold the dough in from the left to cover about 5" of dough. Then fold the remaining 5" from the right side over the first fold.
- Fold again, in thirds, from the remaining length. This will yield a 5" square which has been folden in thirds twice.
- Allow to rest for 30 minutes, after which, roll the dough out again to a 15" square. Roll out the dough to thickness of a finger, score the top with a sharp knife and cut small rounds from the dough. Transfer rounds to a parchment lined cookie sheet, at least 1 inch apart, and allow to rest agan for 25 minutes.
- Pre heat oven to 400 °F
- Reform scraps into a sheet and score and cut more rounds.
- Mix one egg with a couple of teaspoons of water and mix to make an egg wash and brush the biscuits with a pastry brush.
- Transfer biscuits the middle rack of a pre heated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the buscuits have turned a golden brown color.
