Piroshki, (plural: pirogi) also spelt Pirozhki, is a baked (at times fried) bun that is native to Russia usually stuffed with different kinds of fillings. These baked pie-like buns are both savory as well as sweet, with fillings ranging from cottage cheese, mixed vegetables such as mashed potatoes, mushrooms, onions, cabbage and eggs if the Pirozhki recipe calls for a savory filling and if they are sweet buns, fillings such as jam, stewed or fresh fruits such as apples, cherries, apricots, lemon, etc., are used. A lot of people even enjoy non-vegetarian fillings such as meat, fish or oatmeal mixed with meat or giblets in their Pirozhki.
History of Pirozhki Recipe
Pirozhki originated from Russia where in the early days, vegetables and fruits along with duck, goose and rabbit meat were used as filling in the buns. However, these meats are not common today. Though mashed potato is a popular filling ingredient of the Pirozhki recipe now-a-days, the climatic conditions of Russia was not suitable to grow this root vegetable when it was first imported from America. With time, the vegetable got acclimatized to the soil conditions of Russia and today potatoes fillings are quite popular in a Pirozkhi.
Preparation of Pirozhki
Pirozhki is a baked dish that is made with regular yeast leavened dough, which is set aside for three-quarter of an hour to rise. The dough is then divided into small balls which are covered with a cloth for about 10 minutes and then rolled out and laid in a cookie sheet. The desired filling is placed on the rolled-out dough and sealed. These sealed balls are coated with beaten egg and baked at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes till golden brown and once done they are coated with butter to make scrumptious Pirozhki.
Variations of Pirozhki Recipe