Beef and Bean Roll-ups

This hearty and flavorful recipe was created by a male contestant in the 1969 Pillsbury Bake-off. It's a simple dish of baked beans and beef with a brown-bread style biscuit dough.


Biscuit dough:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup molasses

Meat mixture:
1 to 2 pounds ground beef
2 (1 lb. each) cans pork and beans (undrained)
2 tablespoons instant minced onion
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare meat mixture by browning ground beef, drain well and add beans, onion, molasses, and ketchup. Mix well and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour with baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add milk and molasses; stir just until dough clings together. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough 5 or 6 times. Roll out to a 12 x 9 inch rectangle. Spread 3/4 cup warm meat mixture over dough. Starting with longer side, roll up. Cut into 12 1-inch slices. Pour remaining meat mixture into a 12 x 8 or 13 x 9 baking dish. Place biscuit slices on hot meat mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Note: to speed preparation you can roll out the dough as if you were making biscuits, cut with a biscuit cutter and place them atop the meat mixture. It's just as tasty either way. I have found that certain brand of beans have less "juice" than others, so it may be necessary to add a little water to the meat-bean mixture. You don't want the beans and beef to be dry.