Russian Beylishi Recipes

EASY BELYASHI RECIPE - PIROZHKI

Steps:

• Combine milk and water. Heat in microwave for 45 sec, or on the top stove until barely warm. Add sugar and dry yeast. Mix until sugar dissolves and set it a warm environment to proof, for 15 minutes.
• Add eggs, salt, sour cream and mix everything together with the dough hook attachment (or hand whisker) on medium speed. Add melted butter and mix again.
• Add 1 cup of flour, mix on low, and then ½ cup at a time after that until all flour is incorporated.
• The dough should be thin (starchy) and sticky, unlike for pirozhki baked in the oven.
• Cover the dough in the mixer bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for an hour.
• Filling Instructions:
• While the dough is rising, make the meat filling (or filling of your choice). Rinse and grind meat. Add egg, shredded garlic, onion, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix everything together with a hand mixer on low until combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready for use.
• Assembly Instructions:
• The dough should triple in size. Scrape the sides of the mixer with a silicone spatula to deflate the bubbles. Dip your finger in oil and pinch off chunks about ½ cup in size. Flatten each chunk of dough with your hands, place some filling on each dough pancake, bring the surround edges together and pinch to seal in the filling.
• Pinch the edges together tightly so they don't come apart at the seams, especially when deep frying. Dip your hands in oil again if necessary and shape the Belyashi into an oval shape.
• Frying Instructions:
• Pour half a small saucepan of oil. Heat the oil to 300F. Place as many Belyashi as will fit on the surface without overlay. Fry Belyashi for about 2 min on each side or until golden brown.
• Place fried Belyashi onto a paper towel to soak in excess oil. Repeat the same steps with the rest of the dough and filling. Form a few Belyashis at a time, while others are frying. Do not make all Belyashi at once then fry them, because they will rise too much by the time they make it in the oil, and will be very airy inside once fried. Not pretty! :)
• Cool Belyashi for about 15 minutes and enjoy!

MEAT PIROSHKI (BELYASHI)

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Brown ground beef and turkey, breaking it up into small pieces with a spatula. Season meat with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/ tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp garlic powder.
• When the meat is almost done, add diced onion and saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add shredded carrots and saute another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add 3 tbsp dill, mix well.
• Add mayo, stir well.
• Stir in 1/2 cup water to moisten the meat mix. Transfer meat mix to a bowl and let cool to warm or room temperature.
• The easiest way to do this is in a bread maker. If you have one, set it to the dough setting and add the ingredients in the following order: Oil, water, 2 cups flour, salt, 2 cups + 2 Tbsp flour, yeast. A bread maker will do the following: mix, let dough rise, mix again and let the dough rise (It takes about 1 to 1 1/2 hours) and once it's done in the bread maker, its ready to go.
• You can also make this dough using a stand mixer with a dough hook on speed 2(mix all the ingredients together, let rise, mix again and then let it rise in a warm place (like the oven). (It should be 2 to 2 1/2 times in volume). While it's rising, work on the meat filling for piroshki - see below.
• Put the finished dough onto a well floured cutting board, dust the dough with flour and with well-floured hands, shape it into a large log.It will rise more as you make the piroshki.
• Cut off pieces one at a time about 3/4″ thick.
• Place the piece of dough over your well-floured hand (dough will be sticky) and shape it into a 3″ to 4″ circle using your hands. Do not put flour on the side where you are going to put the meat, otherwise the sides won't seal.
• Stir the meat mix to distribute the juices. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of meat filling in the center.Cover the meat with the sides of the dough (being careful not to let oils or juices seep out), and pinch the edges together to seal the dough. Flatten the pirojki slightly to make them a more uniform size.
• Heat oil in a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pan or cast iron dutch oven. There should be enough oil to cover the pirojki half-way up the side.
• Place them in the hot oil (about 330° F) and fry until deep golden brown on each side. Sometimes they puff up a lot on one side so you may end up with a third side that needs to be fried.
• Place on paper towels to cool and enjoy!