Pirozhki with Cabbage: Baked Yeast Dough Pies with Sauerkraut
When I was little, my grandmother often baked pirozhki filled with cabbage, poppy seeds, apples or farmer's cheese. Soft, tasty and always fresh – I still remember them. In season, ripe cherries were a frequent filling. Grandma's sweet pastries usually got eaten just like that, without even tea or milk.
A pirozhok is a small pie, a pastry typical of East Slavic cuisines. They are made from almost any dough – yeast or unleavened, shortcrust, puff, enriched and so on. Calling pirozhki baked goods is rather a stretch, since they can be deep-fried, pan-fried, cooked in other ways and even steamed. That is why the name is quite often applied to samsa, echpochmak and sometimes even varenyky.
Grandma made her cabbage pirozhki closed. The dough covered the filling completely, sealing it in. This kept the cabbage juicy, and the pies themselves stayed fresh for a long time. The dough was a yeast one, unsweetened or with very little sugar. The shaped pies were brushed with egg and baked in a well-heated oven.
The filling was stewed cabbage without meat, or bigos made from sauerkraut – the tastiest option. There was always sauerkraut at home. Grandma fermented a whole barrel in the cellar to last the entire winter. These days my mom makes it masterfully in jars. It makes the perfect cabbage filling.
For baking, an enriched yeast dough works best. It turns out fluffy and soft enough. Since cabbage pirozhki are small individual pies, soft dough makes it easier to shape buns with filling that are all the same shape and size.
Prepare the filling in advance so it has time to cool. Generally speaking, any stewed cabbage will do. Ideally it should be meatless, although many people may well like it with meat. The filling can include carrots and onion. But I would not recommend tomato or prunes – they change the flavor too much. Be sure to check that the dough is baked through inside: the pies are quite fluffy, and the dough may stay underdone.
Ingredients
4-8 pcs
- Sauerkraut 0.5 kg
- Onion 1
- Vegetable oil 2 tbsp
- All-purpose flour 2 cups
- Instant dry yeast 5 g
- Butter or vegetable oil 1 tbsp
- Low-fat milk or water 150 ml
- Egg 1
- Salt, black pepper, bay leaf, sugar to taste
Step-by-step recipe
- Why I love a stewed sauerkraut filling: it has no additions that enhance or alter the flavor. When bigos is usually made, fresh white cabbage is added to it. It tastes fairly neutral, so dishes with it often get some acid, tomato and prunes. Sauerkraut, on the other hand, needs no additions at all – its flavor is self-sufficient.
- How to make the cabbage filling
- A good filling is bigos made from sauerkraut, a recipe I have already described. For a simple version you will need an onion, a small bowl of sauerkraut with carrots, vegetable oil and spices. Peel the onion, chop it finely and fry in vegetable oil until golden. Add the sauerkraut, bay leaf and black pepper. Stew over low heat with the lid on. The cabbage should darken and lose almost all its moisture. After that, let the filling cool to room temperature.
- Dough for cabbage pirozhki
- I make the dough for pirozhki similar to pizza dough, with a few changes. Sift two cups of flour into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and 1 tsp of sugar. Add 5 g of instant dry yeast – it usually comes in 11 g sachets, so you will need about half a sachet. Mix the dry ingredients. In a cup, melt 1 tbsp of butter and add warm milk to make a total of about 180 ml.
- Using milk and butter is optional. If for some reason you want a simpler version of the yeast dough, use plain water and vegetable oil. By the way, it turns out quite well. So, add the liquid to the flour mixture and knead a soft dough. Place it in a bowl, cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for 45 mins.
- Shaping the pirozhki
- During this time the dough will roughly double in volume. Divide the yeast dough into pieces. If you want palm-sized cabbage pirozhki, make four pieces. For smaller ones, make six or eight. Dust the work surface with flour. With a rolling pin or just your palms, flatten each piece into a round 5-7 mm thick.
- Place the filling on the rolled-out dough. The amount of filling is up to you, but do not overdo it – the dough has to cover it completely. 1-2 tbsp is enough, depending on the size of the pie. The cabbage filling should sit in a mound in the center, with an empty margin left around the edge.
- Wrap the filling completely in the dough. Pinch the edges together with your fingers. If the dough is not very moist, run a finger dipped in water along the edge before pinching – this helps the edges stick better. Use your palms to shape an elongated oval cabbage pirozhok.
- Next, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Grease the paper with a little vegetable oil. Transfer each shaped pie to the baking sheet with the pinched seam underneath. You can press them down with your palms so the bottoms come out flatter. Beat an egg in a cup and brush each pirozhok with it.
- Baking
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C and let it heat through. Put the baking sheet in the oven. After 10 mins you can brush the pirozhki with egg again if you like – this improves the color and gives a glossy surface. Keep baking until the dough is cooked through and nicely golden. Check the dough with a toothpick – if it comes out clean with no dough on it, the pies are done.
- Do not overbake the pies, or the dough may turn out tough. As soon as the dough is baked through, the pirozhki are completely ready, since the filling is already cooked and needs no further heat. Transfer the hot pies to a plate or basket, cover with a cloth and let them cool completely.
- Cabbage pirozhki are a tasty treat that goes perfectly with tomato juice, chicken soup and red borscht. They are especially good straight out of the oven. We make just enough to eat in one go. The next day, it is best to warm them in the microwave – they will soften up again.
| Yield: | 4-8 pcs |
| Calories: | 150 |
| Prep time: | 1 h |
| Cook time: | 30 mins |
| Total time: | 1 h 30 mins |
| Category: | Baking |
| Cuisine: | Ukrainian cuisine |
| Rating: |
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4.8
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