Pirozhki

Soft enriched wheat dough wrapped around a savoury filling of buttery cabbage or potato, the parcels baked until their tops gleam a deep, egg-washed gold, tender enough to tear apart in the hand and warm at the centre

Origin: Russia

From the journey of Wheat.

Pirozhki are the everyday hand-pies of the Russian table, the small stuffed buns that fill a lunchbox, a railway platform, or a babushka's basket at the market. The name is a diminutive of 'pirog', the great festive pie of the Slavic kitchen, and the relationship is exactly that of the small to the large: where a pirog is a single grand pastry to be sliced and shared, pirozhki are individual portions, one to a hand. The form belongs to the broad family of enclosed wheat breads that spread across the Eurasian steppe, kin to the Central Asian samsa and the Tatar pasties carried into Russian cooking during centuries of contact with the Turkic peoples to the south and east. The fillings are frugal and seasonal: braised cabbage, mashed potato with fried onion, hard-boiled egg with spring onion, rice with minced meat, or, in the sweet versions, soft fruit and curd cheese. They may be baked, which yields a soft, bread-like bun, or shallow-fried, which gives a crisp and blistered crust; both are correct, and households hold firm opinions on the matter. Above all, pirozhki are food of hospitality and thrift, made in batches, eaten warm, and pressed upon guests until the plate is empty.

Ingredients

Dough

500 g strong white wheat flour, plus extra for dusting
7 g fast-action dried yeast
250 ml whole milk, warmed to blood temperature
50 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp fine salt

Cabbage filling

500 g white cabbage, finely shredded
1 large onion, finely chopped
40 g butter
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (optional)

Potato filling

400 g floury potatoes, peeled and cubed (alternative filling)
1 large onion, finely chopped and fried in butter
30 g butter, for mashing

To finish

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp milk, for glazing
1 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning the fillings

Method

Whisk the yeast and sugar into the warm milk and leave for 10 minutes until frothy. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, then pour in the yeasted milk, the melted butter, and the beaten egg. Mix to a shaggy dough.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth, soft, and elastic. Return it to an oiled bowl, cover, and leave in a warm place for about an hour, until doubled in size.
Whilst the dough proves, make the cabbage filling. Melt the butter in a wide pan, add the onion, and soften for 5 minutes. Add the shredded cabbage and a good pinch of salt, then cook gently, stirring often, for 20 to 25 minutes until the cabbage is meltingly soft and lightly golden. Season with pepper, fold through the chopped egg if using, and leave to cool completely.
For the potato alternative, boil the potatoes until tender, drain well, and mash with the butter until smooth. Stir through the buttery fried onion, season generously with salt and pepper, and cool completely.
Knock back the risen dough and divide it into roughly 16 pieces. Flatten each piece into an oval about the size of your palm. Place a heaped tablespoon of cooled filling along the centre.
Bring the two long edges of the dough up over the filling and pinch them together firmly to seal, then pinch the ends closed, forming a neat boat-shaped parcel. Place each one seam-side down on a lined baking tray, spaced well apart.
Cover the trays loosely and leave the buns to prove for a second time, about 30 minutes, until puffy. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan).
Brush each bun all over with the egg-yolk glaze and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until risen and a deep, glossy gold. Cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes; they are best eaten warm.

Notes

Pirozhki are endlessly adaptable: beyond cabbage and potato, classic fillings include rice with hard-boiled egg and dill, minced beef with onion, sautéed mushrooms, or, for a sweet version, soft summer fruit and sweetened curd cheese (tvorog). Baked buns keep well for a day or two and reheat beautifully; they also freeze well once cooled. Serve them as a snack, a lunchbox staple, or alongside a bowl of borscht or shchi, into which Russians have dunked their pirozhki for generations.

The Gastrographer

Name: Pirozhki
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 2 h 25 min
Yield: About 16 buns
Cuisine: Russia
Ingredients: 500 g strong white wheat flour, plus extra for dusting; 7 g fast-action dried yeast; 250 ml whole milk, warmed to blood temperature; 50 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 2 tbsp caster sugar; 1 tsp fine salt; 500 g white cabbage, finely shredded; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 40 g butter; 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (optional); 400 g floury potatoes, peeled and cubed (alternative filling); 1 large onion, finely chopped and fried in butter; 30 g butter, for mashing; 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp milk, for glazing; 1 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning the fillings

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control