Traditional Russian Pirozhki (Hand pies) - Complete Guide And Video

Pirozhki or пирожки are traditional small hand pies. Along with Borodinsky bread and medovik(honey cake), they are some of the most popular Russian foods.

Pirozhki consists of a filling encased in a soft and fluffy yeasted dough. Fillings can either be sweet or savoury, and the pies are either baked or fried.

The best pirozhki have plenty of filling encased in a very thin layer of fluffy buttery bread. It should also be no bigger than two or three bites. Perfect for a snack or appetizer.

Jump to:

• Baked or fried
• What type of dough is best?
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Video
• Tips for success
• Alternative fillings
• Storage instructions
• Frequently asked questions
• Useful equipment
• Related recipes
• Recipe
• Comments

Baked or fried

There is no right or wrong way to cook pirozhki.

Baked is my favourite, and it's also the way famous restaurants like Dr. Zhivago and Café Pushkin serves it.

Baked is slightly healthier and lighter than fried, although one could argue that fried is more home style. Most likely how a babushka(grandmother) might cook them.

This pirozhki recipe can be baked or fried. Both make amazing little pies.

Fillings come in many flavours, but the dough stays the same.

What type of dough is best?

Pirozhki dough, like the fillings, can vary.

Sometimes puff pastry or other flaky, high butter content variants are used.

Most often used and also the most traditional dough is a demi brioche.

Meaning, it's a mix between classic brioche(enriched with eggs and butter) and regular white bread(contains no eggs or butter).

Although pirozhki can be made with sourdough starter, it's best to use active dry yeast or fresh yeast, especially for the average home cook.

Ingredients

For the dough

• Flour - White bread flour or all-purpose flour.
• Yeast - Dried yeast or fresh yeast. If using fresh, double the amount.
• Sugar - Regular white sugar. The dough is quite sweet, and it should be like that.
• Salt - Fine sea salt works best. Don't use coarse or flaky salt, as it won't dissolve well.

For the meat filling

• Liver - I used turkey liver, but feel free to use chicken or simply replace it with more meat if you don't like the flavour.
• Beef - I mince my own chuck. Use whatever cut or type of meat you want.
• Hearts - Optional like the liver, but it adds a ton of flavour.
• Aromatics - Keeping it simple with onion and garlic. You can spice it up if you want.

For the cabbage filling

• Cabbage - White cabbage of any kind. Green cabbage and red cabbage does not work well.
• Aromatics - Onion and garlic. Keep the flavours simple.
• Extras - Boiled eggs and dill. Use hard-boiled eggs.

For the apple filling

• Apples - I used pink lady apples, but you can use granny smith or golden delicious too.
• Spices - These are optional but highly recommended. Classic apple spices like clove, cinnamon and star anise.

Instructions

The dough

1. Mix the dry and wet ingredients for 10 minutes on medium speed in your kitchen aid stand mixer or whatever mixer you have.
2. Add the butter bit by bit and blend another 5 minutes until the dough is elastic and smooth. Place in a bowl covered with a damp cloth to either rise overnight in the fridge or for 2 hours at room temperature.
3. When ready, deflate the dough and divide into 30 gram portions. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to relax the gluten and roll into round balls. Cover and rest for another 10 minutes.
4. When you are ready to use it, roll the balls out thinly. Ready to wrap around the filling of your choice.
5. Make a simple egg wash by blending 1 egg with 50 millilitres of milk. We use this to spray or brush onto the pirozhki just before baking.

Meat pirozhki

Making the filling:

1. Fry the mince meat in a hot pan until well browned. Drain any fat and keep aside.
2. Fry the onions and garlic in the reserved fat in the same pan. Scraping the fond of the bottom of the pan. Keep the onions blond without serious caramelization.
3. Add the fried minced meat back into the pan with the onions. Add a touch of beef stock, water or vegetables stock and slowly simmer the mix for 5 to ten minutes to soften the mince.
4. Once done, cool the mix down before forming into 50 gram portions. Traditionally, meat pirozhki is made in a triangle shape. Make sure to pack the mix tightly, before moving into the freezer to fully set for 20 minutes.

It's best to keep the mix cold at all times. If the fat melts, the shapes will fall apart and crumble. Do not try and make the mix too wet as it will result in soggy, and not fluffy pies.

1. Once the dough his rolled out thinly, place the filling into the centre and close the pirozhki by pinching and pulling from the edges of the dough. Avoid bunching up the dough when you seal it. It should be evenly spread all over.
2. Once the pies are shaped, move them onto a parchment lined baking tray and close with another tray turned upside down. Proof for one and a half hours in a warm place(around 30° C or 86° F) until jiggle and fully proven. Turn your oven to 170° C or 338° F.
3. Spray or very gently brush them with egg wash, taking care not to deflate them, as they are very fragile at this stage.
4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Cool down slightly on a wire rack before serving or storing for later.

Cabbage pirozhki

1. Slice the cabbage as thinly as possible and into short strands to avoid long stringy bits of cabbage. Chop the onion and garlic finely before pan frying it all together until slightly caramelized and soft. If it browns too quickly or goes dry, add a touch of water and lower the temperature.
2. Boil the eggs for 10 minutes. Cool down in cold water, then peel and grated on a box grater.
3. Chop the dill and add all the ingredients together in a bowl before seasoning with salt and pepper.
4. Chill down the mix completely in the fridge.

1. Shape the filling into 50 gram balls and firm it up by placing into the freezer for 10 minutes. Roll out the dough thinly.
2. Once rolled, place the filling into the centre of the dough and close the pirozhki by pinching and pulling from the edges of the dough. Avoid bunching up the dough when you seal it, but make sure it's completely sealed. The dough should be evenly spread all over.
3. Once the pies are shaped, move them onto a parchment lined baking tray and close with another tray turned upside down. Proof for one and a half hours in a warm place(around 30° C or 86° F) until jiggle and fully proven. Turn your oven to 170° C or 338° F.
4. Spray or very gently brush them with egg wash, taking care not to deflate them, as they are very fragile at this stage.
5. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Cool down slightly on a wire rack before serving or storing for later.

Apple pirozhki

1. Peel and core the apple. Cut it into roughly 1.5 centimetre or ½ inch pieces.
2. Add to the pan with the sugar, butter and spices. Cook on medium high heat until the apples are soft to the touch but not falling apart. Remove and discard the spices.
3. Drain the liquid and place back into the pan to reduce into a thick caramel.
4. Place the apples back into the caramel and season with lemon zest and lemon juice before placing into a bowl and chilling down in the fridge.

1. Once the rolled out thinly, place the filling into the centre of the dough and close the pirozhki by pinching and pulling from the edges. Avoid bunching up the dough when you seal it. It should be evenly spread all over. The apple filling and oblong shape is the trickiest, to form. You can also seal the pirozhki at the top and bake it with the seal at the top to simplify the process.
2. Once the pirozhki are shaped, move them onto a parchment lined baking tray and close with another tray turned upside down. Proof for one and a half hours in a warm place(around 30° C or 86° F) until jiggle and fully proven. Turn your oven to 170° C or 338° F.
3. Spray or very gently brush them with egg wash, taking care not to deflate them, as they are very fragile at this stage.
4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Cool down slightly on a wire rack before serving or storing for later.

Video

Tips for success

• Dough - Make sure to mix it for the full recommended time. Pirozhki dough handles easier when chilled. Wrap in plastic and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes or in the fridge for a few hours.
• Filling - Fillings should not be too wet. Pirozhki dough does not stand up well to high moisture fillings, and if the fillings are too wet it might cause the pies to break open and leak.
• Shaping - Make sure to roll the dough out very thinly and then evenly encase the fillings, so you don't end up with uneven pies.
• Baking - Make sure the oven is preheated, and your pirozhki are fully proofed before you bake them. Depending on the temperature you prove them, the time can vary wildly. Best keep an eye on them and monitor how they are proving before baking.

Alternative fillings

Other popular savoury fillings

• Salmon and potato
• Meat and rice
• Wild mushroom
• Buckwheat and offal
• Chicken and leek
• Pumpkin and sage

Sweet fillings

• Cranberry
• Pear
• Cottage cheese and raisin
• Cherry
• Apricot

Storage instructions

Once cooled down, you can store them airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Do not let them spend more than 6 hours out of the fridge. Although many street vendors sell these from ambient displays, it's not the safest way to store them.

Frequently asked questions

Useful equipment

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• Sourdough Baguette
• Borodinsky Bread
• Russian Honey Cake

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