Borscht and vodka may be Russia's culinary claims to fame, but it's time to give piroshki the recognition they deserve. These traditional meat pies have a golden breading and a savoury filling, making them the ultimate hand-held comfort food.
- Prep time 1 hour & 15 minutes
- Total time 2 hours & 45 minutes
Ingredients
Dough:
Filling:
Egg Wash:
Method
Dough: In large bowl, whisk together milk, sugar and yeast. Let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes. Whisk in eggs, sour cream and butter.
Whisk 3 1/2 cups of the flour with the salt; stir into milk mixture to form soft sticky dough.
Turn out onto floured work surface; knead, adding as much of the remaining flour as needed to prevent sticking, until smooth but still slightly sticky, about 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover and let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Filling: While dough is rising, in large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and light golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and no liquid remains, about 8 minutes. Stir in beef, salt and pepper; cook, breaking up beef with spoon, until beef is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in dill and sour cream. Let cool completely.
Assembly: Punch down dough; divide in half. Cover 1 half with tea towel to prevent drying out. On floured work surface, roll and stretch remaining half into 12-inch long log; cut crosswise into 12 pieces. On floured work surface and using floured hands, press 1 piece into about 4-inch round; spoon 2 tbsp of the filling into centre. Pull dough up around filling to enclose; pinch seams to seal. Place, seam side down, on parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Egg Wash: Whisk egg with 1 tbsp water; brush all over dough.
To finish: Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in 350°F oven until deep golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 24 pieces.
Piroshki step-by-step
1. On floured surface, knead dough until smooth.
2. Form dough into 2 logs; cut each into 12 pieces.
3. Flatten pieces into rounds; add 2 tbsp filling to centres.
4. Pull dough around filling; pinch seams to seal.
Nutritional facts Per piece: about
- Fibre 1 g
- Sodium 129 mg
- Sugars 2 g
- Protein 8 g
- Calories 157
- Total fat 6 g
- Potassium 150 mg
- Cholesterol 36 mg
- Saturated fat 2 g
- Total carbohydrate 18 g
%RDI
- Iron 11
- Folate 22
- Calcium 2
- Vitamin A 3
- Vitamin C 2
