Filled Breads Recipes Please

[TampaAurora]

A multi-tasking lunch seems to be the norm for me lately and a one-handed lunch makes that easier and less messy. I work on a computer, with lots of files and also behind the wheel of a car to make it to my next appointment (not at the same time). I am getting tired of soups - it's just too hot in Florida mid-day and I haven't found a cold soup I enjoy. Sandwiches are great, but seem to fall apart on me, and since I'm just not that creative with sandwiches, they get old quick.

What I am looking for are filled bread recipes examples that have worked around my house recently like stromboli and knish type foods. I have only made knishes once and plan to again since I loved bringing potato knishes for lunch as a kid filled with deli meats.

What are your favorite filled bread? Ones that can be eaten at room temperature are a plus, but I do have access to a toaster oven and microwave. As a kid, I used to love hot pockets and that ilk, so I guess I am trying to fill the void left by my grown up taste buds and an aversion to processed foods. I still have cravings for processed foods occasionally, but I would like to make my lunches myself.

[TampaAurora]

Here's a filled bread that I found that worked in our house so far. I used it as a guideline, since I already had some whole wheat pizza dough rising in the fridge. Only complaint from my SO was that the asparagus was too stringy so next time I will chop them before I use them. I am a novice at food photography, and used my cell phone's camera without realizing that the lens had grease on it before we ate it all. Oops.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2...

[lfirebrand]

Jamaican Meat Patties! They are so delicious... seasoned spicy ground beef in a flaky pastry. They used to sell them at the college where I went to school in Canada. Here's a recipe by Emeril.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/em...

[nemo]

Here's a link to something called Chopped Bread which I don't remember but apparently was a fad in the nineties. I've always meant to try it for a picnic. Sounds like you just cut it in wedges and the ingredients are well dispersed so there's no fallout.

http://www.masterstech-home.com/the_k...

[Pia]

We make filled breads all the time using pizza dough (storebought, because we're lazy) and any sort of filling. Take whatever vegetables are in the fridge, cook them up (saute with onion and garlic and some sort of Italian seasoning by default, but could be anything, can add meat too), stretch out dough, cut into serving-size rectangles, sprinkle cheese, put filling on top, wrap up and bake for about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Or you can make one big one and slice it, but then it's harder to eat out of hand.

Similarly, if you use storebought empanada dough (where I live, the regular supermarket has the Goya empanada rounds in the freezer section), you can also fill it with anything. Two recipes here:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-Empanada-with-Chorizo-Raisins-and-Olives-231377
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...
or I like to do a vegetarian version with winter squash or sweet potato, leeks, and mushrooms.

You could think about savory muffins or baked patties too.

[jvanderh]

I do homemade hot pockets using the simple dough recipe here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/arti...

I have done all sorts of fillings-- usually I do cooked ground meat with spices.

[The Dairy Queen]

Would tamales work?

Here's a pretty easy, healthful tamale recipe (not necessarily "authentic," though) http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/517748?tag=highlight-3675023;post-content-3675023#3675023

Also, here's a puff pastry with salmon from Penelope Casas that is nice:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5245...

~TDQ

[TampaAurora]

Can you paraphrase the salmon recipe? It doesn't look too "easy to eat", but it looks like a great dinner idea.

[The Dairy Queen]

This is my adaptation. The won ton version is very easy to eat. The phyllo version is a little messier due to the flakier wrapper.

1 medium onion, chopped
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
12 oz canned wild salmon, flaked
10 TBSP tomato sauce
1 hard boiled egg, minced
1 anchovy, chopped
4 TBSP chopped pimiento
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 TBSP sodium-free chicken stock (or dry white wine)
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
About 1/2 package of won ton wrappers or 1/2 package phyllo dough, defrosted
Olive oil to brush on the outside of the phyllo

Pre-heat oven to 425.

In a nonstick skillet, saute the onion in the EVOO until wilted. Add remaining ingredients; cook 5 minutes.

Layout your won ton wrappers or phyllo. For phyllo, you'll be using about 2 TBSP of filling and folding the phyllo into a rectangle, about the length of an eggroll, which usually calls for about a 1/2 of 1-2 sheets stacked on top of each other. (Or one sheet folded in half, but that's a pain.) It just depends on how you like to roll them. Place about 2 TBSP of the filling in the middle of your pastry, then fold in the sides and then roll it up. Place it on the cookie sheet open edge down. If desired, brush with EVOO.

For the won tons, you'll be using about 1 TBSP of filling, plus one wrapper on the bottom and another wrapper on top. Lay the bottom wrapper down, plop about 1 TBSP filling in the middle. Dip your finger in water and brush water around the perimeter of the wrapper. Place the second wrapper on top and press along the edges to seal. I don't brush the won tons with oil--they get nice and crispy. You could do won ton "triangles" with a single wrapper, too--needing about 1 tsp of the filling and, again, sealing the edges of the triangle with water before pressing them closed.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until well-browned.

Warning the filling will be REALLY HOT when you first take them out of the oven.

~TDQ

[chowser]

I make braided stuffed breads all the time, and add whatever I want to it from the basic ham and cheese to oven dried tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to smoked salmon and cream cheese to hard boiled egg (whole peeled) and bacon, to prosciutto and marinated bocconcini, etc. , etc. I make enough dough for a loaf of bread, spread it into a rectangle but I'm sure you could also use frozen dough if you don't want to make your own.

[BabsW]

Pirozhki -which can be filled with a variety of different fillings: potato, cheese, cabbage or mushroom mixture

Pelmeni - Siberian meat dumplings

Gyeongju bread - a Korean bun filled with red bean paste, SO adddictive!

[TampaAurora]

My SO and I are addicted to red bean buns from the local Chinese bakery and I would love to figure out how to make them, or anything red bean, at home.

[jvanderh]

I can't help with the dough, cause I've just made sort-of pancakes with red bean paste between the layers, but in terms of the paste itself, you can buy it in a jar or make it-- it's basically refried beans with sugar. If you want to use the proper kind of beans (adzuki I think), you'll probably find them dried rather than canned, and you'll have to soak and boil them like you would with any tried beans, then fry in a pan with oil, smash or puree them, and mix in sugar. It takes a surprising amount of sugar to make it taste right-- like 1/2 cup sugar per 2/3 cup beans.

[jeanmarieok]

I love those red bean paste steam buns from the chinese bakery. Wish there was one anywhere close to me!

[chowser]

Red bean paste is easy to make. You just boil the red beans in water until soft. Cook w/ oil (lard works better) and sugar to taste. I don't follow a recipe but hannaone posted one here:

http://www.chow.com/recipes/11939-asian-sweet-red-bean-paste

I have a recipe for bao that you can steam or bake. As a short cut, my mom would sometimes use those Pillsbury biscuits that you pop, and then she'd fill and steam.

Oh, I just found this tutorial w/ pictures that might help.

http://visualrecipes.com/recipe-detai...

I generally eat half the beans before I finish making the bao.

[GloriaSwansonsTVdinner]

Runzas are delicious. Popular in the midwest.
My mother used to make them - a favorite of mine when I was a kid.
Lots of recipes on the Internet for them.

This link says this is the original runza recipe:
http://thisfoodthing.com/index.php/20...
I'm assuming there are many variations.

They're good!

[classylady]

Made a similar filled dough recipe called borekas. Can be filled with a spinach, feta cheese, ricotta and egg. Also there are recipes for other fillings like potato, eggplant, and cheese. Dough is not made with yeast. The borekas can placed in the freezer for later use.

[tullius]

That runza recipe is fine but just says to use "bread dough" It's worth making the rich eggy slightly sweet runza dough IMHO.

2 pk active dry yeast
4 & 1/2 C flour
1/4 to 1/2 C sugar
1 t salt
3/4 C milk
1/2 C water
1/2 C butter
2 eggs

put 1 & 3/4 C flour, sugar, yeast & salt in large bowl. Heat milk, water & butter to 120 to 130 F. Pour over flour, add eggs. Mix until blended, then beat on high for 3 min. Add rest of flour and stir by hand until combined. Knead until smooth, cover & let rise until double. Then proceed with recipe.

Geez I just noticed the recipe has a link to challah that you can use as the dough. Its pretty similar but I already typed all this in so here's my recipe. This dough makes a nice tea ring or cinnamon roll too BTW.

[Rasam]

Indian food has a huge repertoire of stuffed parathas - wheat flatbreads, stuffed with a variety of veggies.
Possibilities: grated radish, potatoes, cooked dal, grated zucchini, cauliflower, carrots, paneer (or other suitable cheese), eggs, etc etc.

[TampaAurora]

I wouldn't even know where to begin! I know I love chana saag and eggplant sabji sopped up with naan, but that's about it. Any recommendations on a reliable recipe I could follow for a stuffed parantha?

[JungMann]

Paratha was the first thing I thought of when I read "stuffed breads," but they aren't as great re-heated.

Empanadas, pasties, pork pies and siopao asado (baked bao), however, seem to do fine at room temperature.

[Val]

If you can bear the thought of no dipping sauce, perhaps homemade spring rolls or egg rolls...recently co-workers went to Chinese place for lunch, and I asked them to bring me back an egg roll...dumb place did not include any dipping sauce packets so I ate it "naked" and it was not bad at all. Emeril's shrimp and pork egg rolls are very good if you need a recipe.

[itryalot]

Here are a few that I had saved; the first one is more of a pressed bread sandwich.

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/Nuts/recipe.html?dishid=9043
http://noshtalgia.blogspot.com/2007/04/pepperoni-bread-aka-stuffed-bread-aka.html
http://www.thatsmyhome.com/mainstreet...

[chef chicklet]

Along with the bbq pork or chicken or vegetable steamed buns, pita sandwiches work and so do burritos. I make tuna fish in a flour tortilla, pretty yummy.

[ipsedixit]

Char siu bao?
http://the-cooking-of-joy.blogspot.co...

[chef chicklet]

Exactly my answer too.
I make these all the time and my husband like the op, drives around quite a bit of the day. He loves these for lunch. Actually we all love them even the 4 year old.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7220939@...

[ipsedixit]

It's amazing how well these things travel. Very tasty at room temp, right up there with cold pizza as a dish better served (sometimes) cold.

[TampaAurora]

Would this work with a non-pork product?

[ipsedixit]

Yup.

Works with just about any type of filling. Chicken, beef, vegetarian.

[vttp926]

yes you can definitely do it with other meats. we have done it with ground chicken and ground turkey before. haven't tried results of ground beef. but there are so many different versions of this. there are even baked versions.

[goodhealthgourmet]

there are plenty of options - it sort of depends on the flavors and type of dough you prefer. initial thoughts:
- pierogi
- calzones
- samosas
- Australian meat pasties
- stuffed crescent rolls

grilled cheese holds together well, as do pressed sandwiches. pita pockets can be pretty easy to manage with one hand, as can well-rolled wraps. taquitos also come to mind...

[TampaAurora]

GHG, you are always so helpful! I would love a recipe for your samosas and Australian Meat Pasties. Your recipes never fail to make a hit in my house.

I always thought pierogi were pasta pockets - my grandmother would make them for me as a kid. I haven't made stuffed crescent rolls since I was a teen and my mom had Pampered Chef parties, time to bring that classic back.

[goodhealthgourmet]

that's so sweet of you to say! i don't have a recipe for the pasties, it was just a thought. sorry :(

for the samosas, one of my favorite vegetarian fillings was inspired by this Cooking Light recipe:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/rec...

i use sweet potato instead of white, lime juice instead of lemon, and add a teaspoon of amchur (dried mango) powder, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, and an extra pinch of cinnamon. and i prefer to toast whole cumin seeds and grind them instead of using pre-ground cumin.

for the samosa pastry, you can either make a basic dough, or use a pre-made alternative - wonton wrappers, phyllo and puff pastry are all options. and of course i bake or pan-fry my samosas as opposed to deep frying ;)