When I was in college (early 1990s), I often went to my friend’s house for the weekend. Her parents are great cooks. One winter weekend, her parents had returned from the butcher with what appeared to be 10 pounds of thick cut bacon. They willingly slaved in the kitchen, cooking the bacon and making a certain type of bread dough from scratch. Early that evening, they presented me with a Lithuanian Bacon Bun – a soft, doughy sweet roll filled with tender bacon. It is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten. I had once asked for the recipe, but they guarded it. I was a little disappointed but at the same time, I completely understood because their bacon buns are one of a kind.
So a couple of years after graduating from college, my friend ended up in Virginia and I needed a bacon bun fix. I was desperate so I ran to the supermarket, bought some Pillsbury Grands biscuits and a package of bacon to create my own version of bacon buns. They satisfied my fix and I’ve been making them this way for over 15 years.
I’ve googled Lithuanian Bacon Buns and several recipes pop up but I don’t want to go through the whole process of making them from scratch only to be disappointed with the results. So for now, I’ll stick to my version until I am fortunate enough to get ahold of a tried and true recipe. I may never get it and that’s ok. At least I was able to taste and relish the real thing through my friend’s parents.
My kids love My Bacon Buns. My son’s best friend adores them and his mom now makes them almost every week. There are two keys to making a delicious bacon bun. Firstly, do not overcook the bacon. Be sure to slowly render the fat over low heat so that the bacon is thoroughly cooked but retains a soft texture. Secondly, add enough bacon to each biscuit. Don’t skimp!
- 1 container refrigerated biscuits (not flaky) (I use Pillsbury Grands - 8 biscuits/container)
- 1 package bacon (1 lb.)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees or per biscuit packaging instructions.
- Remove biscuits from container and lay out on a cutting board to allow them to come to room temperature.
- On a separate cutting board, slice bacon crosswise into 1/4" strips.
- Cook bacon in a saute pan over medium to low heat. You want to slowly render the fat but avoid crisping or browning the bacon.
- Remove bacon from saute pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Use extra paper towels to press down on the bacon, absorbing as much fat as possible.
- Stretch out one biscuit, as you would pizza dough.
- Top the dough with approximately 1/4 loose cup of bacon, spreading it across the whole surface.
- Fold up the side of the dough closest to you.
- Fold over the the sides.
- Roll the dough away from you, tucking in the bacon as you roll.
- Create a seam to seal the bun and place it on the cutting board, seam-side down.
- Go back to Step 6 and roll the rest of the dough into buns.
- Place the buns seam-side down on a baking sheet (I use a pizza stone) and bake for 11 minutes until golden brown or according to the time stated on the biscuit packaging instructions.
- Place the buns on a rack to cool.
- Any leftover buns can be wrapped in foil and stored in the freezer. To reheat, remove the foil, wrap the bun in a paper towel and nuke for approximately 45 seconds.
