No Latvian party is complete without a basket of these. Pīrāgi is the general word for filled buns, but the bacon ones, called speķrauši or speķa pīrāgi depending on whose grandmother you ask, are the national favorite: small crescents of soft, buttery yeast dough wrapped around finely chopped smoked bacon and onion and brushed with egg until they shine. They appear at birthdays, at Christmas and above all at Jāņi, the Midsummer festival, and families compare recipes with a competitiveness otherwise reserved for ice hockey.

They are made to be eaten by the handful, standing up, and they hold well for hours, which makes them ideal for any gathering of a crowd outdoors. A batch makes about forty, which sounds like a lot until you watch them go.

The dough

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
• 6 tablespoons (85 g) butter
• 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons / 7 g) instant yeast
• 1 large egg
• 4 cups (500 g) all purpose flour

The bacon filling

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450 g) smoked bacon or speķis
• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

Shaping and baking

Ingredients

• 1 large egg

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