I once worked as a bike messenger in San Francisco (switching to a scooter after two days). The money wasn’t great, so I’d get a beef pirozhki from a sketchy deli in the back of a big-city corner store for lunch. It only cost two bucks, delivered a ridiculously high number of calories, and even though I knew it wasn’t the healthiest thing to eat, I grew to love the taste. So, for this recipe, I set out to recapture that experience.
Preparation Details
Prep Time: 45 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 15
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon oil, or as needed
Steps
- Combine 1 scant cup warm milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Let sit until foamy and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Add 3 scant cups flour (holding back a small amount in case dough gets too dry), 2 tablespoons melted butter, egg, sugar, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Knead in the mixer until dough is soft and supple.
- Turn dough out onto your work surface. Grease the bowl with about 1/2 teaspoon oil; place dough back in bowl. Cover bowl; let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, onion, and garlic; season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and black pepper. Cook, breaking apart beef with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until evenly browned, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
- Stir dill into beef mixture. Add chicken broth; stir, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Cool mixture for 10 minutes; stir in Cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese. Cool filling completely.
- Transfer dough to a work surface; punch down dough to release air bubbles. Pinch off a piece of dough; form into a ball, then press into a disk. Lightly dust with flour; roll into a circle about 1/8-inch thick and 5- to 6-inches in diameter. Dampen edges of dough circle with water using your fingers.
- Place dough circle in one hand; add about 3 tablespoons beef filling. Pinch dough edges together to seal. Place pirozhki on the work surface, seam-side up; pinch off any excess dough. Moisten center of seam with water. Fold 2 ends inward and flip pirozhki over, seam-side down; press down lightly.
- Form remaining pirozhki using remaining dough and filling; rest until dough rises slightly, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Heat oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Fry pirozhki in batches, seam-sides down, until golden brown, about 90 seconds. Flip and fry until browned on the other side, about 90 seconds more. Drain on paper towels. Cool for about 3 minutes.
