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Potato Pirozhki

Name: Potato Pirozhki
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Ukrainian
Ingredients: 500 g Plain flour; 250 ml Whole milk; 7 g Dry yeast; 1 tbsp Caster sugar; 2 tsp Fine sea salt; 2 large Eggs; 4 tbsp Sunflower oil; 700 g Potatoes; 2 medium Onion; 30 g Unsalted butter; 0.5 tsp Ground black pepper; 4 sprigs Fresh dill

Soft baked yeast buns stuffed with buttery mashed potato and fried onion, glazed with egg until glossy: the Ukrainian bakery classic made at home.

Prep: 45 min
Cook: 25 min
Difficulty: Easy

About this dish

Pirozhki, from the Slavic word for feast, are small stuffed buns that every Ukrainian and Russian household has baked for generations, usually baked in the oven at home and fried in the street version. Potato is the humblest and most beloved filling, since mash with sweet fried onion is cheap, filling and tastes of childhood. The yeast dough is enriched just enough with egg and oil to stay soft for a day after baking.

Vegetarian
Not vegan because of Whole milk, Eggs, Unsalted butter
Contains gluten because of Plain flour
Contains dairy because of Whole milk, Unsalted butter

Ingredients

6servings

500gPlain flour
250mlWhole milk
7gDry yeast
1tbspCaster sugar
2tspFine sea salt
2largeEggs
4tbspSunflower oil
700gPotatoes
2mediumOnion
30gUnsalted butter
½tspGround black pepper
4sprigsFresh dill

Instructions

Warm the milk until lukewarm, stir in the yeast and sugar, then mix with the flour, salt, 1 egg and the oil. Knead for 10 minutes into a smooth, soft dough.
10 min
Tip: The dough should be soft and just short of sticky. A dough that is too stiff bakes into dry, bready buns.
Cover and leave in a warm place for about 60 minutes, until doubled.
60 min
Tip: This is a good moment to make the filling, since both can be done in the same time.
Boil the peeled potatoes until tender, drain and mash with the butter, salt and pepper. Fry the chopped onions in a spoonful of oil until golden and fold into the mash with the chopped dill. Cool completely.
25 min
Tip: Fry the onions slowly until sweet and golden, not just soft; they carry the flavour. Cool the filling, or it will soften the dough and leak out.
Divide the dough into 18 pieces, flatten each into a round, place a spoonful of filling in the centre, pinch the edges shut and set seam-side down on a lined tray. Cover and leave for 20 minutes, then brush with beaten egg.
20 min
Tip: Do not overfill, or the seam splits. A seam-side-down bun keeps the filling inside as it bakes.
Bake at 190°C for 22 to 25 minutes, until deep golden, and cover with a cloth for 10 minutes after baking.
25 min
Tip: The cloth traps a little steam, which softens the crust so the buns stay tender instead of turning hard.