Meat Piroshki or Piroshky are little pockets of soft yeast dough, stuffed with juicy filling and then fried for the most glorious perfection of a bite. They make a great snack appetizer .
So, What are Piroshki, Pirozhki, or Piroshky?
All are the name to the same thing – the delicious Russian yeast dough buns that can be filled with either savory or sweet fillings. If this term is new to you and you’ve never had piroshki, you’re truly in for a treat. Find a local Russian store and they probably sell either baked or a fried variety of these Piroshki. Back in Russia or Ukraine, the soft buns were often sold as street food.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 cups warm milk
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups all purpose flour sifted
- 2 Tbsp oil
Stuffing:
- 150 g ground beef
- 1 medium size onion finely diced
- dill finely chopped
- parsley finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Black ground pepper
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Make the Dough:
- Mix 1 cup of warm to the touch milk (not hot), 1 tbsp active dry yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar until sugar is dissolved. Let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes allowing the mixture to rise.
- Meanwhile, sift 4 cups flour into a bowl of an electric mixer, add 1 tsp salt, 2 eggs, and 2 Tbsp oil. Once the yeast mixture has doubled or tripled in size, add it to the flour, as well as the rest of the milk and start the mixer on low, allowing the ingredients to combine. Once there is no visible flour, you can turn the mixing speed on the mixer from 1 to 2 and knead the dough until it pulls away from the bowl.
- Set the dough in a warm, draft-free place and allow it to rise for about an hour or an hour and a half until doubled in size.
- *If using a bread machine, place the liquids first, then flour and the rest of the dry ingredients, finishing with the yeast. Turn the 1.5-hour cycle for making the dough.
Make the filling:
- Mix together, 150 g ground beef 1 diced onion, 1 minced garlic, parsley, dill, salt & pepper. Cover and place in the fridge until the dough is ready to work with.
- Generously sprinkle a baking sheet with flour. Set aside.
- Once the dough is ready to work with, take half of the dough and on a well-floured surface roll it out to about 1/3 inch thickness, being careful to deflate the dough as little as possible. Using the largest round cookie cutter or a large upside down glass/cup cut out circles (3-4 inches diameter).
- Place about 1 teaspoon of the filling in the middle of each circle.
- Pinch together opposite sides of each circle forming a piroshok, and making sure no gaps are left as that is going to allow the juice from the inside into the oil.
- Place the formed piroshki onto the prepared baking sheet bottom side up. Cover with a clean kitchen towel while you finish with the rest of the dough, allowing your pirozhki to rise.
- *Allowing your piroshki to rise before dropping them in hot oil, makes the dough rise slowly, forming small uniform bubbles throughout the dough. If you do not allow the piroshky to rise before dropping them in the oil, you will get huge bubble and an “empty” piroshok. So it is important to let them rise beforehand. This tip goes for all yeast dough.
Fry the Piroshki’s beef Filling
- When you’re almost done with forming your pirozhky, fill your Dutch oven or cast iron pan with about 2-3 inches oil. Place your thermometer on the side and when the temperature reaches 350F, slowly place a couple of piroshky into the hot oil, seam up. *Not sure why, but if you drop them seam down, they start turning to the other side on their own and then you have to hold each one with a fork, to brown them on the other side. **Do NOT place your piroshky in the oil before it reaches the right temperature, otherwise they will absorb a lot of fat and will result in a greasy piroshok.
- Fry piroshki on each side turning only once, until deep golden color.
- Then place them in a pot, lined with a couple of paper towels to absorb the extra oil, and cover with a lid until you’re done with the rest of your piroshky enjoy .
