My Pirukadpirukas Stuffed Pastries Recipes

BAKED PIROSHKI (RUSSIAN STUFFED ROLLS)

Steps:

• In a bread machine: place ingredients in the machine following the directions for the dough setting. Dough should be soft, sticking slightly to the pan as it kneads. Add a little water or flour to adjust dough consistency during the first knead as necessary.
• In a stand mixer: In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add warm milk and sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over top of the milk. Let stand for 5-7 minutes until the yeast begins to foam. Add 2 c of flour, the egg, softened butter, and salt. Mix everything together. Continue adding the last cup of flour, until the dough starts to come together. Knead the dough with the mixer on low speed for 3-5 minutes. The finished dough should be soft and almost sticky, but it should pull away from the sides of the bowl. (If it is too sticky, add a little more flour and continue to knead.) Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover it with a damp tea towel. Let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour, until well doubled.
• While the dough is rising, make the fillings.
• Heat butter in a large, non-stick sauté pan. Add onions and mushrooms and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until soft. Add cabbage, salt, dill, and pepper. Continue to saute until the cabbage has softened, 5-7 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer it to a medium bowl. Let the filling cool to room temperature before filling the rolls.
• In a large, non-stick sauté pan, brown the beef and onions together with the dill, salt and pepper, 3-5 minutes. Once the beef is cooked through, remove the mixture from the heat and transfer it to a medium bowl. Mix in the chopped hard boiled eggs, if using. Let the filling cool to room temperature before filling the rolls.
• Once risen, remove the dough from the bread machine or bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a log and cut the log into 16 roughly even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then press it into a 3-4" circle.
• Fill the center of each circle of dough with a heaping tablespoon of filling. Gently pull the edges of the circle up and around the filling, pinching the edges to seal the filling inside. (Be sure to pinch the seam well, or else the filling will burst out during baking.
• Place filled piroshki, seam-side down on a greased baking sheet.** Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the rolls 2 inches apart. Brush the tops with the beaten egg. Set them aside to rise until puffy and nearly doubled (30 minutes).
• When the rolls are nearly finished proofing, preheat the oven to 375F.
• Bake at 375F for 20-23 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

MY PIRUKAD/PIRUKAS STUFFED PASTRIES

Steps:

• 1. I am getting lazy in my old age. It's hard to get good help now days..lol So there are times I use Bridgeford frozen white bread. For every pound of ham you will need 4 hard boiled eggs. DO NOT CUT ALL THE FAT OFF THE HAM TRIMMINGS..it adds moisture to the hard boiled eggs and ham. plus it adds flavor.
• 2. When I bake my ham for the holidays or anytime. I NEVER put any kind of sweetner or cloves on it. It's not the way Europeans make ham. First boil the eggs and set aside to cool. Cut your ham in chucks and place in food processor. Pulse till you have made the ham look like coarse corn meal. Peel the boiled egg and chopped the eggs. Add them to the ham and stir to combine evenly. Set cover and aside in the refrig.
• 3. To make bread dough. Scalded the milk, add the butter and salt. Cool to 120* Desolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water 120* with the sugar. **Hot tap water has the perfect temp.** Set aside till it foams. Add Yeast to the warm scaled milk, add a cup of flour and stir. Keep adding and stirring until you can't stir anymore flour in. Flour a cutting board or your clean counter. Place the dough on and knead as much flour in until it is just sightly sticky and smooth. Place dough in a greased bowl and turn. Cover let rise in a warm place until double. (I usually use my oven that has a pilot light) Turn out on floured surface and knead again until you hear popping sounds.
• 4. Cut dough in half. Use 1/2 the dough at a time, turn out on a floured surface and roll out to 1/4 inch. Cut with a large round cookie cutter or jelly glass, dipped in flour. Yes I really do have an old Jelly drinking glass from Welchs. Take each round and place a heaping tsp. of ham and egg mix in the center of dough. Fold the dough over, it will look like a half circle. Some may have a crescent shape. Moisten your fingers tips with little water..moisten the edges. Pinch the edges closed. Set aside till you have used all the dough.
• 5. In a 4 quart pan, heat the crisco to 350*. You will need enough crisco melted so it fills the 4 quart pan half full. Carefully with a slotted spoon place as many Pirrukad in the hot oil. Turn them as they brown. When they are brown on both sides they are finished. Left out with a slotted spoon and place on a brown bag or paper towels. Serve hot or cold. They go excellently with pea soup and crowders. My kids use loved it when I would pack them in their lunch pails.
• 6. Notes: These can me bake in a 350* oven. And instead of using crisco you can use oil or lard. If you have any filling left..freeze it.