By Jessica Battilana
- Total Time
- 70 minutes, plus rising
- Rating
- 5(141)
- Notes
- Read community notes
There are as many possible fillings for piroshki as there are countries that claim the yeasted, stuffed buns as their own. In Russia and Ukraine, where they are an especially popular street food, you’ll find versions that are baked and versions that are fried with fillings both sweet and savory. In this baked version, the slightly sweet, butter- and egg-enriched dough encloses a filling of silky cooked green cabbage, which provides a nice counterpoint to salty feta. Once you’ve made these a couple times, you might start dreaming up your own fillings. Piroshki are a wonderful way to use up odds and ends.
Featured in: 3 Highly Portable Picnic Options That Aren’t Sandwiches
or to save this recipe.
Print Options
Include recipe photo
Advertisem*nt
Ingredients
Yield:15 piroshki
- 1cup/240 milliliters milk, warmed
- 1tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1½teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 to 3¼cups/385 to 415 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough
- 1large egg, at room temperature
- 1tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash
- 4tablespoons/55 grams unsalted butter (½ stick)
- 1onion, thinly sliced
- 1small green cabbage (about 1½ pounds/680 grams), cored and cut into ½-inch ribbons
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1cup/about 225 grams crumbled feta
- ½cup/30 grams finely chopped fresh dill
- Flaky salt, for sprinkling (optional)
For the Dough
For the Filling
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (15 servings)
222 calories; 10 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 299 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
Step
1
Make the dough: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment (or in a large bowl with a wooden spoon), combine the milk and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let stand 5 minutes until foamy. With the mixer on low speed, add 3 cups/385 grams of the flour, the egg, the butter and the salt, and mix until combined. Increase the speed to medium, and mix until the dough comes together in a smooth ball. The dough will be soft but should not stick to your fingers. If it does, add more flour by tablespoons. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Step
2
While the dough rises, make the filling: In a large (12-inch) high-sided skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, cabbage and a few generous pinches of salt, stir to coat with butter and cook, stirring frequently, until the cabbage is soft and tender but not browned, and all the liquid has cooked off, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, then stir in the feta, dill, and more salt and pepper to taste.
Step
3
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Gently punch down the dough, transfer to a work surface and divide into 15 pieces, each about 1½ ounces/45 grams. Roll the pieces into balls, then cover them loosely with a clean dish towel. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll into a 4-inch/10-centimeter circle using a rolling pin. (If your dough is particularly sticky, you can dust your work surface with a bit of flour, but adding too much flour makes rolling the dough difficult, so be cautious.) Add 2 to 3 tablespoons filling to the center of each dough round. Pull the dough up and around the filling, pinching the dough firmly to enclose the filling. Place seam-side down, 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (The piroshki can be made up to this point and frozen for up to 1 month. Freeze on the baking sheet, then transfer to a resealable freezer storage bag. Bake as directed below, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the total baking time.)
Step
4
Place the racks in the top and bottom third of the oven, and heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a sheet of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray, cover each pan of piroshki and let stand at room temperature until puffy, 30 minutes. Brush the tops of each with egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt, if using, or kosher salt. Bake until browned, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans and switching oven racks halfway through baking. Transfer the piroshki from the sheet pan to a wire rack and let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Ratings
5
out of 5
141
user ratings
Your rating
or to rate this recipe.
Have you cooked this?
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Michelle
I made the filling and put it into puff pastry squares - delicious! And actually very kid-friendly food - my teen keeps asking for more!
Jean
This is not tasty enough to warrant the extraordinary time to make the dough and filling, plus another 1-1/2 hours to stuff, raise and bake the piroshki. Perhaps with another more delicious filling?
Amy Lewis
These are wonderful: crisp and golden, with a pillowy interior and a silky, savory filling. While probably a bit of work for a weeknight, they weren't difficult and made for a pleasant afternoon project. I caramelized the onions and cabbage, which added sweetness to the filling. I also used a generous amount of fresh dill. I ended up with extra filling and made another half-recipe of the dough the next day so it wouldn't go to waste. Oh, and leftovers reheat like a dream in the microwave!
Cara
Made for dinner with cottage cheese instead of feta (what we had in the fridge) super easy and RIDICULOUSLY yummy. Made 18 and Stored left overs on counter but they were all eaten before noon the next day (yum!!)
Susanthecook
I thought the filling was a little bland. Next time more feta!
gfhardin
The dough is good, flexible, stretchy enriched dough.I will definitely be using it for many other hand pies. I upped the spices - and these were delicious. Froze half of them after they were cooked. They thawed in the fridge and then worked as a room temp lunch once. I also defrosted some part way in the microwave - and then let come to room temp as we had a sudden need for dinner on the fly. Both ways work well. They are great little hand pies!
MB
Many people want more flavor in this dish. Whenever cabbage is the center of a dish, I always experiment with combinations of fennel, bok choy, and napa cabbage - even brussel sprouts. Fennel (the fleshy plant not the seed) is one of those best kept secrets of cooking. The addition of feta was something I never considered but it is genius. 1 Tbsp chopped shallot as well. Mmmm. Replace 80-100 grams of cabbage with fennel. See what happens.
Vicky F.
I have not made this yet but will try it soon. My Russian/Ukrainian mother made these regularly but fried them. Cabbage is my favorite but other fillings were sautéed mushrooms diced very finely with some onion, salt and pepper, cooked ground beef with chopped hard boiled egg and cooked salmon with glass noodles seasoned with dill. The fillings can also be used to make a pirog—which is a pie. More convenient for a crowd, she made them in 13 x 9 inch pans; I make smaller versions. Enjoy!
DaliT
Oh boy. Well, I was low on GF flour, so I thought it would be OK if I went ahead with 50/50 buckwheat/teff. This combo does not rise. If at all. I moved forward and rolled out the dough and stuffed it according. It resulted in an extremely dense ball, remi incentive of one of those compact energy balls. I will try this again in the future with a different flour ratio. As for the filling, I threw in some spicy sausage. Not too bad for an ultra dense ball.
B
For a weeknight dinner, I made the filling and used store-bought pizza dough. The filling is very spanakopita-like, as another commenter noted. Even with the shortcut, it took 75 minutes from gathering the ingredients to a completed dinner coming out of the oven (and prep dishes mostly washed). I have no idea how anyone can make dough and get this done in 70. Kudus to the speedy chef!
RH
The dough is very easy to work with - the filling is tasty and makes about 1.5-2x what's needed to properly fill and seal the dough. They are great hand snacks at room temperature or warmed briefly.
Erin
This recipe is easy to follow. The dough is lovely, and the filling is delicious. It sorta reminds me of spanakopita, but made with cabbage instead of spinach obviously. They brown beautifully in the oven, and they come out soft and pillowy. I served this with borscht and vushka, which made for a huge Ukrainian dinner. I’d love to try other fillings. What other fillings are common for piroshki?
phillycook
These were simple enough to make, and came out looking very pretty. The end result is like a hand pie where the crust is made of white bread. Personally, I prefer pastry as an outer layer.
Kathy
Amazing! I've added some bacon and used a soft goat cheese instead of feta.
Dman
Really good - very tasty Few split open so I probably over filled them Will make again for sure
Jennie
This is a delightful dough to work with, soft and very compliant. :) We loved the filling so much I may use it as a cabbage side dish. It made 15 piroshski for us with no extra filling. I froze half unbaked. They were so delicious that I baked them the next day. Next time, I think I'll try gfhardin's method of baking first and then freezing. Would love to read about other fillings bakers have tried!
Jennie
These were fun to make and delicious! What a great dough to work with. Thanks for the advice by previous commenters to add more feta (I doubled it). I froze half and baked half. Didn't have fresh dill, so used a scant teaspoon of dried. They were great. I'll make these again and will experiment with other fillings (but we love the cabbage and onions).
Karen
Fabulous. I cooked the cabbage with shallots, green onion and carrots and used cottage cheese instead of feta. Assembly was pretty simple. I will make these again and experiment with various fillings.
nycreb
Did anyone freeze these *uncooked*? I thought they were delicious.
Michelle
I made the filling and put it into puff pastry squares - delicious! And actually very kid-friendly food - my teen keeps asking for more!
Tracy
I'm thrilled with how these turned out! I'm new to proving, and found the yeast process and rising so fascinating. I like the filling but next time I think something like bbq pork would be choice. I saw on the other cabbage pirozhki recipe to use any leftover filling for making omelets, so that scootched it's way into this week's meal agenda. Easy to follow instructions, didn't feel like work... felt like fun!
Private notes are only visible to you.
