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Pirozhki
Russian Pies
Pirozhki
There's a folktale in which a child asks a large Russian stove, 'Where have all the magic birds flown?' And Mother-stove replies, while coaxing the child with a hot ryemeal pie, 'Eat! Eat! And then I will tell you.' The Russian pie (pirog or pirozhok) is as ubiquitous in Russian life as it is in literature. Street corners are dotted with hawkers selling their pies hot from portable ovens; cafes offer meat pies along with bowls of steaming soup. The importance of the pirog cannot be underestimated. The practice of enclosing all sorts of fillings, both savoury and sweet, in an envelope of dough is an old one, and very characteristic of the Russian cuisine. The pies range from the complex and extravagant (the many-layered salmon kulebuaka. for instance) to the simple and plain (deep-fried half-moons of dough stuffed with leftovers). The large pies are called pirogi. They are usually square or rectangular in shape. Their diminutive cousins, the pirozhki, are pocket-sized and oval. All can be made from a variety of doughs - yeast, short or flaky pastry - depending on which suits the filling best. The word pirog comes from pir or 'feast': pirogi were, and still are, integral to Russian entertaining.
Ingredients
Basic Raised Pirozhki Dough - Drozhzhevoye testo.
Makes 4 dozen pirozhki.
1 tablespoon dried yeast
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
8 fluid oz (225 ml) milk
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
4 oz (120 g) butter, cut into small pieces
1-1¼ lb (450-550 g) plain flour
Method
Dissolve the dried yeast in the warm water. Heat the milk to lukewarm and add the butter. Stir the milk and butter mixture into the yeast. Add the salt, sugar, one of the eggs, and the egg yolks, mixing well. Gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough.
Turn the dough out on to a floured board and knead it lightly until smooth and elastic. Place it in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top, and cover it with a clean towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1½ hours.
Knock back the dough and divide it into 48 balls of equal size. On a floured board roll each ball out to a circle 3½ in (9 cm) in diameter. Place a heaped tablespoon of filling on each circle, then press the edges of the dough together firmly to seal. Gently shape the pies into elongated ovals.
Place the pies seam-side down on a greased baking tray. Cover and let rise until they are just doubled in bulk, about 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.
Beat the remaining whole egg and brush each pie with it. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
Variations:-
1. To make a sweet raised dough for dessert pirozhki, increase the amount of sugar to 2 tablespoons. Proceed as directed above.
2. Pirozhki may be deep-fried instead of baked, and then they are usually shaped into round balls instead of ovals. After the pirozhki have risen on the baking tray, drop them, a few at a time, into deep hot fat (185°C/365°F) and fry them until golden, about 5 minutes, turning them once. Drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately.
3. To make 2 large pirogi, divide the risen dough into 4 pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 10 in (25 cm) square. Spread 2 of the pieces with the desired filling, and then top each filling with the remaining squares of dough. Turn the bottom edge of the dough up over the top piece to seal. Shape any leftover scraps of dough into fancy shapes and affix them in a decorative pattern to the top of the pirogi with beaten egg. Let the pirogi rise in a warm place, covered, until doubled in bulk. Brush them with beaten egg and bake them in a preheated 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 oven for about 45 minutes, or until golden.
4. A four-cornered pirog is made for special occasions (such as a Name Day). Roll out the dough as for the 2 large pirogi above, but instead of using only 1 filling, spread the bottom squares of dough with 4 different fillings, using 1 filling to cover each corner of the squares of dough. Top with the remaining dough and proceed as directed above.
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