Fried Piroshki with Beef Filling

Piroshki is a type of savory pastry that originated in Eastern Europe. They are typically made with yeast dough and filled with various ingredients such as meat, vegetables, cheese, potatoes, or a combination. They are often baked or fried until golden brown and served as a snack, appetizer, or even as a meal. This is a great dish for picky eaters, who normally would not eat vegetables or meat. My 1 year old loves it, plus it’s easy to eat because you don’t need any utensils!

Growing up, my grandma made piroshki with beef filling or a sweet variation with apple filling, mainly for special occasions. She would always bake the piroshki and they were delicious. Eventually I discovered fried piroshki at the Russian Bakery in San Francisco. They are filled with a juicy beef, onion and herb filling encased by a soft fried dough that soaks up all those juices. Every time I’m in the area, I stop by for some of those warm, mouth-watering piroshki, which only cost $3 or $4 and they’re HUGE. Now I prefer making fried piroshki, because I find the baked ones a bit more dry, though both are delicious.

Tips and Ingredients

• The dough is very soft and sticky, but don’t be alarmed because it’s supposed to look that way!
• I recommended having at least half a cup of extra flour on hand to flour your surface and the dough to make it easier to work with.
• I like to use 80/20 beef for an extra juicy filling. Feel free to play around with the filling, for example, try a mix of beef and turkey, or beef and pork, add mushrooms, use different herbs, omit what you don’t have and replace with what you do. You could do a meat and cheese filling, potatoes and cheese filling, cabbage filling or even sweet apple pie filling, like my grandma used to make. Just taste as you go and make sure the filling is not too wet or too dry.
• For the filling, I like to use chicken bouillon powder instead of salt. It adds saltiness and an extra layer of umami flavor. If you prefer to use salt, just omit this ingredient or use less.
• To view a video of the process click here.

To Make Ahead

• You can make the filling a day ahead and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Fried Piroshki

Fluffy savory pastry with juicy beef filling. Perfect for dinner or an on-the-go snack that even picky eaters will love!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Resting Time 2 hours hrs

Course Appetizer, Dinner, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine Eastern European, Ukrainian

Servings 15 Large Piroshki

Ingredients

  

For the Dough:

• 2/3 Cup Warm milk
• 1 Cup Warm water
• 2 Tsp Oil
• 2 1/2 Tsp Active Dry Yeast - 1 packet
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 2 Tsp Kosher salt
• 480 Grams Flour - About 3.5 cups, plus extra to flour surface and shape the dough
• Canola oil for frying - Enough to fill your pot 2 inches up the side.

For the Filling:

• Olive Oil - For Sauteing
• 1.5 lbs Ground beef - 80/20 fat content
• 1 Medium onion, finely diced
• 2 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Large carrot, finely grated
• 2 Tbsp Cilantro
• 2 Tbsp Dill
• 1 Egg
• 3 Tbsp Mayonnaise
• Chicken bouillon powder - To Taste (used in place of salt)
• Black Pepper - To Taste
• 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbsp Fresh squeezed lemon juice - Optional

Instructions

 

For the Dough:

• In a small bowl, add the warm milk, water, and oil. Stir together.
• Add the yeast, then the sugar and let it rest for 5 minutes until foam and bubbles form.
• Add the salt and stir.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour and the yeast mixture.
• With the dough hook attachment, mix the dough and yeast mixture on speed 2 for about 5 minutes, making sure that all the flour is incorporated. Pause to scrape the side and bottom of the bowl as needed. You may add 1-2 more tablespoons of flour just so the dough slightly pulls away from the bowl. The dough will be very wet and sticky.
• Cover the dough with a wet towel or plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm spot for 2 hours or until it is 2 to 2 1/2 times in volume. (I put my dough in the oven with the lights on and leave the oven door slightly open.)
• After 2 hours, in a large dutch oven or pot, heat your oil to 330 F-350 F. Meanwhile flour your work surface heavily and dump out your dough onto it (it will be very sticky and wet).
• Shape the dough into a log and cut off 3/4 inch pieces. Shape the pieces into a ball. Flatten the ball (careful not to add too much flour, as the sides won't stick well when you close them). Now add about 3 Tbsp of filling and pinch the sides back up together and flatten. Cover the dough and dough balls with a towel, they will rise more as you are filling and frying.
• Gently place 3-4 piroshki into the frying oil (make sure the temperature stays consistent). Flip them over and fry until both sides are golden brown.
• Set aside on a paper towel and enjoy!

For the Filling:

• While the dough rests, make the filling. Heat a large pan to medium high heat and slightly brown the ground beef, but not so much that it becomes dry and loses all of its juices. Transfer the cooked beef to a bowl.
• In the same pan, add the onion and grated carrot and cook until onions are translucent.
• Add the garlic, dill, and cilantro and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Now add your beef back to the pan and add the rest of the ingredients: Egg yolks, mayonnaise, and seasonings. Stir and taste as you go. Add a squeeze of lemon juice if you like, for acidity.
• Set the mixture aside until you're ready to fill your piroshki.

Notes

I like to stuff the piroshki with a hefty amount of filling, but if you want to put less filling you can make this recipe with 1 lb of beef instead of 1.5 lbs, just add a bit less onion. 

Keyword Fried Dough, Fried Pastry, Meat Filling, Piroshki