Sausage-Filled Pogaca Rolls

By lorik

Ingredients

• For the dough:
• 1 cup whole milk, warmed to 105°F
• 1 Tbs. (9 grams) active dry yeast
• 2 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup canola oil; more as needed
• 13 1/2 oz. (3 cups) all-purpose flour; more as needed
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• For the filling:
• 1-1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1-1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 cup finely diced celery
• 3/4 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1-1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1-1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• For shaping and baking:
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. whole milk
• 3 Tbs. sesame seeds (optional)

Details

Servings 17
Adapted from finecooking.com

Preparation

Step 1

Make the dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, yeast, and sugar. Set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the egg and oil. Put the dough hook on the stand mixer. Add the flour and salt, and mix on low speed until the flour is incorporated, scraping the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium low, and knead until smooth and stretchy, 8 to 10 minutes. (Alternatively, combine and knead the dry ingredients by hand.)

Lightly flour a work surface, and lightly oil a large bowl. turn the dough out onto the surface and sprinkle lightly with flour. Shape into a ball, and transfer to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Make the filling:
Melt the butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add the onion and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate or shallow bowl to cool. Add the sausage to the skillet, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up any chunks, until browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the sausage to the onion mixture, and let cool completely. Stir in the parsley, thyme, 3/4 tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. pepper. (The filling can be prepared up to 3 days in advance; keep covered and refrigerated.)

To shape and bake oval rolls:
Lightly flour a work surface, and turn the dough onto it. Deflate the dough and divide into 17 pieces, about 1-1/2 oz. each. Roll each piece into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until an indentation remains after you press a roll with a finger, 30 to 40 minutes.
Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment.

Press or roll a dough ball into a 4- to 4-1/2-inch circle. Place about 1-1/2 Tbs. of the filling in the center of the dough circle. Pull up two sides to enclose the filling. Seal the dough by pinching with your fingertips. Turn the roll over so that it’s seam side down, and gently roll into an oval or football shape. Place seam side down on the prepared baking sheet, and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough, leaving at least 2 inches between the rolls. Let rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F. Whisk the egg and milk, and lightly brush each roll with the wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. Bake, swapping and rotating the pans about halfway through, until light golden brown, 28 to 33 minutes. cool on the baking sheet set on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, preferably on the same day.

Nutritional Information:
Calories (kcal) : 210 Fat Calories (kcal): 100 Fat (g): 12 Saturated Fat (g): 2.5 Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2.5 Monounsaturated Fat (g): 6 Cholesterol (mg): 30 Sodium (mg): 280 Carbohydrates (g): 21 Fiber (g): 1 Sugar (g): 2 Protein (g): 6