Pirozhki

The other day, I decided to treat Ilya and myself to homemade borsch and pirozhki. Interlaced with a couple of shots of ice cold vodka, of course. (Sort of Russian MSG - makes everything tastier and give you a headache if you overdo it).

This whole combination has a great warming up quality and so is best served when it’s chilly outside. Judging by the weather forecasts, this could've been the last borsch and pirozhki this season. Till October, perhaps. Though, occasionally, June in Seattle feels more like "Junuary," as my neighbor Jean calls it, and then this hearty meal can be quite useful.  

Everybody knows Russian "piroshky". In fact, they are spelled “pirozhki” and pronounced with a stress on the last syllable - pee-rozh-kEE.  Pirozhki is a plural form of the word “pirozhok” (pee-roh-zhOk). Pirozhki are small individual pies that are stuffed with savory or sweet filling and are either baked or pan-fried in a large amount of oil (almost deep fried). They can be made from either yeast or unleavened dough.

Our favorite are baked pirozhki made with a simple yeast dough.

You will need:

• 1 tsp active dry yeast (or quick rise yeast for faster rise)
• 170 ml lukewarm milk (I use 2%)
• 4 Tbsp canola or grapeseed oil or melted unsalted butter
• 1 heaping tsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 8oz/225g all-purpose flour (about 1 ½ cup)
• Egg wash: 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbsp water
• Fillings (see below)

If using regular dry yeast: In a deep bowl dissolve sugar in lukewarm milk; sprinkle yeast on top. Wait until the mixture becomes foamy. Combine flour with salt and add to the milk mixture together with oil. Mix well with a spatula or hand mixer and after the dough has come together transfer to a floured surface (a kitchen table or counter) and start kneading it with your hands.

If using a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, start combining the dough with a paddle attachment; once it has come together, you can switch to a dough hook.

Knead the dough until it has become very smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes or so. Try not to add too much flour during the process – the dough should be very soft, moist and stay slightly tacky. If it sticks too much to fingers, grease them with vegetable oil.

Transfer the dough back to the mixing bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, put in warm place and let the dough rise 2-3 times during 2.5-3 hours.

If using quick rise dry yeast: Combine flour with salt, sugar and yeast. Add lukewarm milk and oil. Proceed as described above. The only exception is that the rising time is much shorter, about 1.5 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare a filling or two.

Divide the dough into equal pieces about 1 oz each. One batch of the dough will yield 14-15 pies. Roll each piece into a ball, put on a floured board, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise again, 20-25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or a pieces of oiled parchment paper. Roll each dough ball into a 3.25-3.5 inch circle with a rolling pin. Put 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the center, fold the circle in half and pinch the edges together with your fingertips.

 

Pinch tight to prevent pirozhki from opening during baking. Flatten the pirozhki slightly between your palms and place on the baking (seam side up or down, doesn’t matter), leaving at least 1.5 inch space between them. Let them rise during about 20-25 minutes.

You may roll the dough thicker or thinner; put more or less filling, depending on what you want to get in the result. Ilya and I like pirozhki with lots of filling and relatively thin dough. But avoid rolling the dough too thin though. The stuffing should not been seen through! Also, don't get too generous with a filling. If you put too much, the pies may burst open along the seam or sides.

If you use two different fillings, bake one kind of pirozhki with seam side up and the other seam side down. If you use more than two fillings, make pirozhki of different shapes or sizes so you can distinguish between them. You can make them oblong, round, triangular or four-cornered like on the picture below.

When the time is up and pirozhki have risen, brush them with the egg wash and place into the oven. Bake 15-18 minutes or till golden brown. Meanwhile, melt several tablespoon of butter (I use microwave). When pirozhki are ready, take them out, brush each lightly with butter, transfer onto a platter or bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. In several minutes the crust will become softer and you can officially announce the beginning of a pirozhki party.

If you have leftovers, keep them in a Ziploc in the refrigerator. Pirozhki get a little tough after refrigeration, so warm them up briefly in a microwave oven before serving.

Fillings:

1. Thinly shred a head of cabbage and sauté it in vegetable oil until the cabbage gets softer, reduces in volume and turn golden brown. Season with salt and black pepper. You can also add several chopped hard-boiled eggs, if you wish.
2. Chop both green and white parts of green onions and sautéed in mixture of vegetable oil and butter. Mix with chopped hard-boiled eggs and season with salt and black pepper. Use lots of green onions as they reduce in volume when cooked.
3. Meat fillings (simmered meat): Cook beef chuck in salted water with a bay leaf and a teaspoon of whole black peppercorns on a very low heat for 3-4 hours or until fork tender. Chill in broth, tear into pieces along the grain and coarsely chop them. Mix with sautéed onions.
4. Meat filling 2: on a medium heat, sauté ground meat (beef or beef and pork combo) with finely chopped onions until cooked through. Pulse for several seconds in a food processor for a finer consistency. When the filling gets to a room temperature, you can add a handful of grated cheese to your liking. It will help to bind the filling.
5. Wrap Russet potatoes in foil and bake at 400F about an hour, more or less, till tender. Peel and put through a potatoes ricer. Mix with sautéed onions; season with salt. Alternatively, you can boil potatoes (I prefer Yukon gold) just like for mashed potatoes.
6. Sauté any combination of mushrooms in vegetable oil; season with salt and pepper. You can add some chopped hard-boiled eggs.
7. Our favorite is a mixture of fillings 1 and 3 or 1 and 4. Mix cooked chop beef chuck/sautéed ground meat with sautéed cabbage in equal proportion.
8. For a sweet filling, any thick jam or fruit/berry preserves will work. For big pies (piroghi), some cornstarch is usually sprinkled on the dough under a filling to prevent sogginess. It is not necessary for small pies, but if the preserves you use are on a thin side, you may consider mixing in some cornstarch. Jam/fruit preserve pie tend to leak, so (1) don’t put too much filling, (2) don’t roll the dough too thin and (3) tightly seal the edges so they don’t open during baking.
9. My favorite sweet pie filling is the one my grandmother, my dad’s mom, used to make. Cook dried apricots in a small amount of water with sugar till tender. Drain, reserving the water. Puree in a food processor, but leave some chunks for the bite. If the filling is too thick, add a bit of the cooking water.

I also like to add a pinch of dried lavender when simmering apricots. It gives an interesting note to the filling.  

 

How to shape pirozhki:

Oblong:

 

Triangular: