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How to Bake Russian Mennonite Meat Pirozhki

Freshly Baked Russian Mennonite Pirozhki - CookingWithKimberly.comIt is my pleasure to present to you today my very 1st special guest on my show, my mother – Ingrid Turner from IngridTurnerToday.com to show you how to bake a coveted family recipe that’s been passed down many generations to make it to your screen today, and hopefully, into your home & heart.

This is a Russian or German Mennonite recipe called Pirozhki. Now, today, we will be filling it with the most traditional filling of meat.

They look like marvelous, little, torpedo-shaped buns that have the most amazing surprise inside. We typically serve them with prepared horseradish, and either hot or cold.

Pirozhki are a “delicacy” in our household, even though they are baked often. It’s always a treat, and we’ll actually sneak them and “fight” over them.

They are perfect little meat pockets that can be served as a main course, or grabbed as a cool snack!

We are using the exact same dough recipe as Grandma Kasper’s Zwieback Buns Recipe.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, along with the historical background banter my mother shares with you of her childhood, as well as the history of our family living in Russia and immigrating to Canada.

Type: Bread Recipe
Serve With: prepared horseradish
Prep Time: You’re in this for a few hours easily…read below
Bake Time: 12-15 minutes
Yield: 3-4 dozen, depending on size of each pirozhki you form.

* The ingredients & instructions are listed before the instructional video below the “Pirozhki Dough Ingredients” & “Pirozhki Dough Instructions.

Pirozhki Dough Ingredients:

  • 3 cups milk
  • 1 1/2 tbsp traditional yeast – not fast-rising; We prefer Fleischmann’s brand.
  • 1 tbsp table salt
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • ~ 7-8 cups flour – all-purpose + bread flour

Pirozhki Dough Instructions:

    1. In a small bowl, dissolve 1 tbsp sugar  in 1/2 cup warm water (not hot).
    2. Sprinkle yeast on top of water and allow to bloom covered with a cloth or paper towel in a draft free area until it doubles in volume and looks foamy. Set aside.
    3. Scald milk in a pot or in microwave. * Please watch instructional video below, and check out the blog post on How to Scald Milk:

  1. Combine shortening, butter, salt and scalded milk in a large mixing bowl and thoroughly mix, either by hand or with a wooden spatula.
  2. Add 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, and 2 1/2 cups bread flour into large mixing bowl and stir until evenly combined.
  3. Add bloomed yeast and water into bowl, and again combine thoroughly.
  4. Add egg to mixture and combine thoroughly.
  5. Alternately, add all-purpose flour and bread flour 1 cup at a time and combine thoroughly until the dough reaches something that looks and feels like “cellulite”.
  6. Remove dough from bowl and place onto a lightly floured pastry sheet or counter top. Knead until all lumps are gone, and dough is smooth. * Tip: If the dough is too sticky at this point, add very small quantities of flour 1/4 cup at a time, to achieve a non-sticky, smooth result that is still soft.
  7. Form dough into smooth ball shape.
  8. Return dough to large mixing bowl that has been lightly greased with shortening or butter, and cover bowl with plastic wrap and cover with a linen or cotton tea towel. You may also want to wrap the entire bowl in a large bath towel, especially in colder months.
  9. Allow to rise in a warm, draft-free area until it at least doubles in volume.
  10. * See Instructions Below for “Meat Filling Instructions” & “Forming Pirozhki Instructions”.

* The ingredients & instructions are listed above this video for measurements & directions on How to Make the Pirozhki Dough. Please enjoy the instructional video below:

Meat Filling Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs ground meat – pork, veal, beef, or any combination of the three
  • 1/2 cup onion – minced
  • 1 whole clove garlic – minced
  • 1/4 cup carrot – grated
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley – finely chopped
  • 1 tsp wine – * optional; red or white
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup – We prefer Campbell’s.
  • 1 tsp all-purpose flour
  • black pepper – to taste
  • sea salt – to taste
  • 1 tsp oil – canola, vegetable or olive to prepare in frying pan

Meat Filling Instructions:

  1. In a large preheated frying pan on medium heat, add oil and ground meat. Lightly brown the meat, constantly stirring, breaking up chunks thoroughly. Remove from pan and reserve.
  2. If necessary, add ~ 1tsp of oil to pan, add onions and soften until they are translucent on medium heat. Add garlic, cayenne pepper, some black pepper, some sea salt, and half of parsley and continue to saute for an addition 2 mins.
  3. Add wine, carrots, cream of mushroom soup, bay leaf. Combine thoroughly and continue to cook for about 2 more mins.
  4. Sprinkle flour on top of mixture in frying pan and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Continue to cook in pan for another 3 mins.
  5. Take bay leaf out of mixture.
  6. Add cooked ground meat back to mixture and combine evenly.
  7. Adjust seasoning with pepper and salt to taste, and add remaining fresh parsley. * Tip: The mixture should be the consistency of tapioca pudding. If it’s too dry, you may add milk 1 tbsp at a time until you reach the proper consistency. If it’s too wet, sprinkle an additional tsp of flour and continue cooking for an additional 3 mins. Then, reassess the consistency and repeat if necessary.
  8. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Forming Pirozhki Instructions:

  1. Russian Mennonite Pirozhki after 2nd Rising; Ready to Bake - CookingWithKimberly.comOnce it has risen, pinch off 1/4 of the ball of dough. Cover rest of dough again and reserve to the side.
  2. Pinch off golf ball size balls with your thumb and forefinger and place them on a lightly floured pastry sheet or counter top. Press them down with the heel of your hand. Then, flatten them out slightly more with a rolling pin until they are about 4″ in diameter.
  3. Place approximately 1 heaping tbsp of meat filling into the center of each dough circle.
  4. Fold the disc in half to cover filling into a half-moon shape, and pinch together the edges to completely seal.
  5. Place each torpedo-shaped, meat-filled pirozhki onto a non-greased cookie sheet with pinched seam down on the bottom. * Note: Be aware, they will double in size after rising. Please place them accordingly to account for them doubling with an extra 1.5″ in between them. * Tip: Place them diagonally in rows in order to accommodate more pirozhki on each cookie sheet.
  6. Cover each cookie sheet with a clean linen or cotton tea towel and place in a warm, draft-free area until the pirozhki double in size.

* The Instructions for this Video are listed above this video for directions on How to Fill the Pirozhki. Please enjoy the instructional video below:

Baking Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, on convection setting if you have it.
  2. Depending on size of oven, place 1 or 2 cookie sheets of pirozhki into oven and bake for 5 minutes at 400 degrees.
  3. Reduce heat of oven to 350 degrees and continue baking for an additional 7 minutes.
  4. At this point, check in the oven to see if the pirozhki are golden brown in color. If not, leave them in an addition 2 minutes (at a time).
  5. Remove from oven and place on a heat protected surface.
  6. Take a spatula and gently loosen each pirozhki.
  7. Remove each pirozhki from cookie sheets and place on cooling racks.

Eat hot or cooled, and serve with prepared horseradish, if desired, and enjoy on their own, as a snack or as a main dish at a meal.

***

I hope you enjoy this Russian Recipe on Cooking with Kimberly. Until next time…

Eat Deliciously!

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Author: Kimberly Turner

Kimberly Turner is the web-chef behind CookingWithKimberly.com. Food writer, food consultant and general lover of the delicious treats on our planet, Kimberly brings you hearty content, delicious offerings, fun antics, and some down-home cooked love with her mom making cameos. Internet entrepreneur and marketer, International model, and Editor-in-Chief of a number of online publications. Be a Champion in Your Kitchen & Eat Deliciously!

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2 Comments

  1. I added 1 tbsp lemon juice to the filling. Beautiful!

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