Pastrmajlija — Macedonian yeast bread boats with baked pork

Pat the pork neck dry and cut into small dice about 8–10 mm across. Mix with the sweet paprika, the salt allocated to the meat and the black pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes while making and proofing the dough. Small, evenly sized pieces are important so the pork cooks through at the same time as the boats.

In a large bowl, mix 400 g of flour with the instant yeast, sugar and dough salt. Pour in all the lukewarm water and sunflower oil. Knead for 8–10 minutes until soft, smooth and springy. The initial stickiness should decrease as you knead; keep the dusting flour for shaping.

Shape into a ball, place in a bowl and cover. Leave in a warm place for 60–90 minutes, until roughly doubled in volume. Rising may take longer in a cool kitchen. Keep the pork in the refrigerator during this time.

Divide the dough into four equal pieces of about 170 g and shape into loose balls. Cover and leave for 10 minutes so they stretch more easily. Preheat the oven to 220°C with conventional top and bottom heat. Line two baking sheets about 40 × 30 cm with parchment paper; each will hold two boats. Bake one sheet at a time, consecutively.

Lightly dust the counter with some of the measured extra flour. Stretch two balls by hand into long ovals about 28–30 cm long and about 12 cm wide. The center should be about 4–5 mm thick. Fold and gently pinch the edge to form a rim about 1–1.5 cm high, then gently stretch and pinch the ends into a boat shape. Transfer to the first baking sheet with a gap between them. Keep the other two balls covered until preparing the second batch.

Take half the seasoned pork neck out of the refrigerator and put about 150 g in each boat. Spread the dice in a single shallow layer with small gaps, leaving the rim exposed. Dot each filling with about 7.5 g of lard in small portions. Keep the remaining pork in the refrigerator until shaping the second batch.

Place the first baking sheet on the middle rack of the well-preheated oven and bake for 22–28 minutes. The edges should be golden, the base fully baked and dry, and the small pork pieces cooked all the way through. If more time is needed, loosely shield strongly browning rims with foil and bake for another 3–5 minutes. Toward the end of the first batch, shape, fill and prepare the second in the same way, using the remaining pork and lard. After removing the first sheet, wait 2–3 minutes for the oven to reach 220°C again, then bake the second batch. Allow about 60 minutes for both sheets, including changing them over.

While the boats are hot, brush some of the fat from inside them over the rims; the rest stays with the filling and is served with it. Leave any fat that escaped onto the parchment on the baking sheet. Rest each batch for about 5 minutes, then serve hot, one boat per serving. Cut crosswise into several pieces to make the soft pork-filled center and golden rim easy to eat.