Bread pockets with salami, parsley and bell peppers

These are, by far, the best breads I have ever baked, and I have baked many. There isn't much to say about these breadlings other than the fact that they taste absolutely, gorgeously, fantabulously divine. You should bake them today, right now.

Just a word of caution here. If you feel like your dough is too difficult to work with and keeps tearing apart, place the dough in a covered bowl in the fridge for about 20 minutes before trying again. The cream cheese and the butter make the dough very soft and light, sometimes making it tough to work with shaping/cutting etc, but the thin, golden crust at the end makes it all worth it.


Portion: Makes 6 pockets
Ingredients
Bread pockets
200g flour
50g butter
30g mascarporne or Philadelphia cream cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
11/4 tsp instant dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
Dried chives
Dried lemon pepper powder
1 egg white

Stuffing
5 slices chicken salami, chopped
1 large red onion, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, chopped fine
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 sprigs fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried parsley
1-2 tbsp fine quality balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dark brown sugar
1tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
First rise
Heat the milk till lukewarm in a microwave; add the butter cubes and allow to melt. It is important that the mixture remains warm. In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, yeast, chives, lemon pepper powder (brand Keya available in Indian gourmet stores). Add the cream cheese and the lukewarm milk-butter mixture. Make a soft dough kneading gently for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover with a wet cloth such that the dough doesn't come in contact with the wet cloth. Keep in a warm place. Allow the yeast to rise and the dough to double. This should take about 1.5 hours.

Filling
In the meantime, make the filling. Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add chopped garlic, parsley and onions. Saute for 1-2 minutes until light brown. Add the sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Add a dash of water and allow the garlic and onions to caramalize for about 6-8 minutes till you see the oil coming up on the sides of the pan. You should have a sticky mixture with little or no liquid. Add the bell peppers and the salami. Cook for 5 minutes or until the mixture is completely dry. Set aside and allow to cool.

Second rise
After 1.5 hours of the first rise, transfer the dough to a generously floured surface (do not punch out the air deliberately). Roll out the dough into a flat rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Using a large cookie cutter cut out round shapes. Take one round shaped dough and place 1 tsp of filling in the centre. Using a silicone brush, gently brush the outer circumference of the round with egg white (this will cook on heating and act as a glue to hold the two rounds of dough together). Place the second round on top of the first and gently press down with your fingertips, securing the filling neatly inside the pocket. Repeat the procedure for all the pockets. Brush the tops of the pockets with egg white and transfer to a greased tray keeping enough space between two pockets to allow them to rise. Cover with a wet cloth (not touching the surface of the bread), keep in a warm place and allow 1.5 hours for the second rise.

After the second rise is complete, transfer the pockets onto a baking tray lined with a baking sheet, and greased with some butter. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Enjoy warm with some hot coffee or a warm cup of hot chocolate.