Pirozhki Recipes

Steps:

• In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until evenly browned; drain. Stir in the onion and cook with the beef until translucent. Sprinkle in salt, pepper and dill weed to taste. Allow to cool before using.
• Dissolve the yeast in the 1/4 cup of warm water and place in a warm location until frothy, about 10 to 15 minutes. In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the milk and gently whisk in the eggs, oil, sugar and salt. Remove from heat.
• Place half the flour in a large mixing bowl and gradually stir in the milk mixture. Then add the yeast solution alternately with the remaining flour, stirring after each addition. Mix well. Knead until the dough forms a ball and does not stick to the bowl. (Note: Start with the 4 cups of flour. You may need to add more, a little at a time, as you knead the dough). Cover the bowl with a clean cloth. Set in a warm location and allow to rise until doubled in volume.
• Remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Pinch off pieces approximately the size of golf balls. Roll the pieces into disks about 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter.
• Fill center of each disk with a heaping tablespoon of the cooled meat mixture. Fold disks over the mixture and firmly pinch edges to seal. Arrange on a flat surface and allow to sit approximately 10 minutes.
• In an large, heavy skillet or deep fryer, heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep fry the piroshki in batches until golden brown on one side; gently turn and fry the other side. Remove and let drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

Steps:

• Combine 1 scant cup of warm milk and yeast in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let sit until foamy and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Add sugar, salt, egg, butter, and almost all of the flour, holding back a small amount in case dough gets too dry.
• Knead in the mixer until dough is soft and supple. Scrape dough onto your work surface. Grease the bowl with a few drops of oil and place dough back in. Cover bowl and let dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• In the meantime, heat olive oil and butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, ground beef, and garlic. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Cook beef, breaking apart with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until evenly browned, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
• Stir dill into the beef mixture. Add chicken broth and stir, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let mixture cool for 10 minutes. Stir in Cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese. Let filling cool completely.
• Transfer dough to a work surface. Press out air bubbles. Pinch off a piece of dough and form into a ball; press into a disc. Dust with a minimal amount of flour and roll into a circle about 1/8-inch thick and 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Dip your finger in water and dampen the edges of the circle.
• Place dough circle in 1 hand and add a few tablespoons of the beef filling. Pinch edges together to seal. Place pirozhki on the table seam-side up and pinch off any excess dough; too much dough will make it hard to fry. Moisten the center of the seam with water. Fold the 2 ends inward and flip pirozhki over, seam-side down; press down lightly.
• Form the remaining pirozhki and let them rest until dough rises slightly, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Fry pirozhki in batches, seam-side down, until golden brown, about 90 seconds. Flip and fry until browned on the other side, about 90 seconds more. Drain on paper towels and cool for a few minutes.

Steps:

• Place 1/2 cup milk in a cup or small bowl. Stir in sugar and sprinkle yeast over the top. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Pour the remaining milk into a large bowl.
• Add the melted butter, egg, salt and 1 cup of flour to the large bowl with the milk. Stir in the yeast mixture. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and doesn't stick to your hands. Cover the bowl loosely and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour. Dough should almost triple in size.
• While you wait for the dough to rise, melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, until cabbage has wilted. Mix in the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until cabbage is tender. Set this aside for the filling.
• Place the risen dough onto a floured surface and gently form into a long snake about 2 inches wide. Cut into 1 inch pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Flatten the balls by hand until they are 4 to 5 inches across. Place a spoonful of the cabbage filling in the center and fold in half to enclose. Pinch the edges together to seal in the filling.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line one or two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Place the pirozhki onto the baking sheet, leaving room between them for them to grow.
• Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in water and let stand 10 minutes. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Make a well in flour and add milk, egg, oil and yeast. Combine to make a soft dough. Knead about 10 minutes. Let rise one half hour to one hour.
• Brown chopped onion and garlic. In separate pan, brown ground beef. Season with salt, pepper, garlic and onion. Cool meat mixture and remove solidified fat.
• Pinch a golf-ball sized piece of dough, flatten with fingers or roll out to 1/8" thickness. Place 2 Tbsp filling in center and bring opposite edges of circle together. Pinch securely. (The traditional shape is a plump center with tapering ends.).
• Let piroshkis rise seam side down, 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350. Brush with egg and bake until golden brown (approx 20 min, it depends on the size). The piroshky may also be deep fried.
• Ed. Note: I also like to add about 1 cup cheese sauce powder (sometimes found in bulk food stores) to the meat mix. I find it gives a slightly cheesy taste. If I do that, I omit the salt.

Steps:

• Mix flour, salt and sugar, mix and then add yeast. Add the butter, egg, milk and cumin. Mix until smooth, cover and let rest for 1 hour at room temperature to rise. Mix duck, plums, walnuts and remaining ingredients place on stove and simmer for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick and cut into 3-inch circles. Place 1 teaspoon of mixture in the center of each circle, fold over and crimp edges. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes until golden brown. Serve with sour cream and grilled apples.

Steps:

• Mix up the pastry dough and while it is rising, make the filling.
• Heat butter over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add cabbage and salt to taste and cook, stirring often, until cabbage is tender but not browned, about 15 minutes. Stir in dill, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and pepper. Taste and adjust salt. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. If using ricotta you can either stir it into the cabbage or place a teaspoon on each round of dough before topping with the cabbage mixture.
• When the dough is ready, pinch off 24 equal pieces, approximately 20 grams each, and roll each one into a small ball by cupping your hand over it and gently rolling it against your work surface. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. One by one, roll each ball of dough to a thin round, about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. If you are using ricotta and have not mixed it into the cabbage, place a teaspoon on each round and top with a tablespoon (heaped) of the cabbage. Otherwise just top each round with a heaped tablespoon of the cabbage mixture. Fold over the round and pinch the edges of the dough together, then tuck in the ends and gently shape each pirozhok into an oval (rather than a half-moon). Place on the parchment-covered baking sheet, seam side down. You should get 12 on each sheet. After you have finished shaping the first 12, cover lightly with plastic and place in a warm place to rise for 40 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and continue shaping the pirozhki. Cover the second batch with plastic and let rise for 40 to 45 minutes.
• Brush pirozhki with egg wash. Bake 1 tray at a time in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes, until light brown and shiny. Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before eating.

Steps:

• Make the dough:
• In a food processor blend together the flour, the baking powder, the salt, and the butter until the mixture resembles meal. In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks and the sour cream, add the sour cream mixture to the flour mixture, and blend the mixture until it just forms a dough, adding the water if the dough seems dry. Divide the dough into fourths, form each fourth into a flattened round, and chill the dough, each round wrapped well in wax paper, for 1 hour or overnight.
• Make the filling:
• Peel the potatoes, cut them into 3/4-inch pieces, and in a steamer set over boiling water steam them, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are very tender. Force the potatoes through a ricer or food mill into a bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the butter. In a heavy saucepan cook the onion and the caraway seeds in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until the onion is golden, add the cabbage, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 5 minutes. Cook the mixture, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes more and stir it into the potato mixture with the sour cream, the water if the mixture is too thick, the dill, and salt and pepper to taste. The filling may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.
• On a lightly floured surface roll out 1 piece of the dough 1/8 inch thick, keeping the remaining pieces wrapped and chilled, and with a 3-inch cutter cut out rounds. Brush each round with some of the egg wash, put 2 level teaspoons of the filling on one half of each round, and fold the dough over the filling to form a half-moon, pressing the edges together firmly to seal them and crimping them with a fork. Gather the scraps of dough, reroll them, and make more pirozhki with the remaining filling and dough and some of the remaining egg wash in the same manner. The pirozhki may be made up to this point 5 days in advance and kept frozen in plastic freeze bags. The pirozhki need not be thawed before baking.
• Arrange the pirozhki on lightly greased baking sheets and brush the tops with the remaining egg wash. Bake the pirozhki in preheated 350°F. oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are golden, and serve them warm or at room temperature.