Beef & Cheese Piroshki (video)

Name: Beef & Cheese Piroshki (video)
Prep time: 90 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 8-16
Ingredients: For Yeast Dough:; 1 1/2 cups (354ml) milk; 1 tablespoon (9g) dry yeast; 1/2 tablespoon (6g) sugar; 1 teaspoon salt; 3 tablespoons (43g) melted butter; 1 egg; 3 1/2 cups (440g) all-purpose flour; For Meat Filling:; 1 pound (453g) ground beef; turkey or pork; 1/2 large onion; 3 garlic cloves; 1 large egg; 1 1/2 cups (150g) mozzarella cheese; 1 cup (100g) cheddar cheese; 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill; 1 beaten egg; for egg wash

Published on January 11, 2017 | In Russian/Ukrainian | By tatyanaseverydayfood |

16 Comments

- Prep Time
- 90 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 Minutes
- Yield
- 8-16
- Difficulty Level

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One of my all-time favorite Russian recipes – these beef & cheese piroshki are simply amazing! Soft yeast dough is filled with beef, mozzarella, cheddar and onion, then baked to golden perfection! To make the filling extra juicy, I recommend using 85% lean ground beef. This recipe will work well with ground turkey or pork! And, you can prepare these two ways: baked or deep fried. Want more Russian recipes? Get my new cookbook, Beyond Borscht. It has 75 traditional and delicious recipes!

Watch My Video!

Watch my video recipe to learn how to shape these delicious meat pockets! Want to receive new recipe emails in your inbox? Make sure to subscribe to my website and my YouTube channel and turn on notifications!

If your Russian grandmother was anything like mine, you never left her home without having at least two piroshki! My grandmother would make these meat piroshki and her famous cabbage piroshki. I love the aroma of piroshki baking or frying – the aroma brings back so many wonderful memories of my grandmother and my mother cooking away in the kitchen!

Preparing the Filling

RECIPE UPDATE: Since filming the above video recipe, I’ve changed things up a bit! Instead of using the beef raw, I’ve been frying it first, which results in a fluffier and more delicious filling. Simply preheat a large frying over medium-high heat and fry the ground beef for 7 to 8 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces. Let the meat cool until just warm, then combine with the onion, cheese and seasonings.

Baked or Deep Fried

These delicious beef and cheese piroshki can be prepared two ways – deep fried to perfection or baked for a healthier version.

Baked: for baking the piroshki, assemble them and place onto a lined baking tray. Space them a few inches apart and allow them to proof for 35 to 40 minutes, until the dough is doubled. Bake at 350F/177C for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.
Deep Fried: preheat approximately 8 to 10 cups of vegetable or canola oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, until the oil temperature reads 325F/162C. Shape 3 to 4 piroshki at a time; DO NOT allow them to proof! Add the shaped piroshki straight into the hot oil, seam side down first. Turn the piroshki often, frying for 5 to 6 minutes, until they’re a rich, golden brown color.

More Recipes!

Looking for more delicious Ukrainian or Russian recipes? Check out the recipes I have on my website:

Classic Beef Borscht – rich and hearty beet soup with chunks of tender beef!
Russian Salmon Coulibiac – the most delicious fish pastry ever with flaky salmon, mushroom rice and a zesty dill and lemon sauce!
Chicken Rice Pilaf (Plov) – easy and aromatic chicken rice dish!
Beef & Rice Stuffed Peppers – traditional stuffed peppers baked in a tomato sauce.
Juicy Beef Cutlets – my mom’s easy recipe, with mushroom gravy!

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Ingredients

For Yeast Dough:
1 1/2 cups (354ml) milk
1 tablespoon (9g) dry yeast
1/2 tablespoon (6g) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons (43g) melted butter
1 egg
3 1/2 cups (440g) all-purpose flour
For Meat Filling:
1 pound (453g) ground beef, turkey or pork
1/2 large onion
3 garlic cloves
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups (150g) mozzarella cheese
1 cup (100g) cheddar cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
1 beaten egg, for egg wash

Instructions

Prepare the yeast dough first. Heat the milk until warm to touch, then pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and sprinkle the yeast evenly over the milk. Allow the yeast to proof for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, whisk in the melted butter, salt and egg. Gradually add the flour, whisking the mixture until it thickens into a thick batter. Continue adding flour until soft dough forms.
Turn dough out onto well-floured work surface; use additional flour as needed. Knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Return the dough to mixing bowl, cover the bowl with a clean towel and allow the dough to proof until doubled in size; about 45 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Preheat a large frying over medium-high heat, add a splash of oil and fry the ground beef for 7 to 8 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces. Let the meat cool until just warm. Place the onion and garlic into a food processor and pulse into a puree. Alternatively, use a grater to puree the onion and finely mince the garlic. In a large bowl combine all of the filling ingredients: fried beef, pureed onion, garlic, cheeses, egg and seasonings. Use your hands to knead the ingredients together to form a uniform mixture.
Once dough has proof, punch it down and knead again for a few minutes. Divide the dough into even portions - 8 pieces for large piroshki, 16 pieces for smaller piroshki. Roll each piece of dough into a circle, add filling into the center, then press the dough together to seal the filling inside (watch my video to see how it's done!).
Deep Fried: preheat approximately 8 to 10 cups of vegetable or canola oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, until the oil temperature reads 325F/162C. Shape 3 to 4 piroshki at a time; DO NOT allow them to proof! Add the shaped piroshki straight into the hot oil, seam side down first. Turn the piroshki often, frying for 5 to 6 minutes, until they're a rich, golden brown color.
Baked: Place piroshki seam side up onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with an egg wash using a pastry brush. Allow the piroshki to proof for 30 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F. Once the piroshki have proofed, bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of your piroshki. Remove from baking sheet onto a cooling rack to cool for 15 to 20 minutes before enjoying. The filling will be extremely hot when the piroshki come out of the oven! Allow them to cool before enjoy.

Course : Appetizers
Recipe Type : Beef & Lamb Recipes, Dinner, Snacks and Small Bites, Video

16 Responses to Beef & Cheese Piroshki (video)

Anna January 24, 2017 at 6:25 pm #

I followed the recipe and didn’t change a thing, turned out delicious! Thank you for another awesome recipe! This one is a keeper.

Reply
- tatyanaseverydayfood January 24, 2017 at 8:01 pm #
  
  Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Thanks for the review!
  
  Reply
Amber August 13, 2017 at 5:57 pm #

I just made these tonight for dinner. They are so good!! It is a great recipe. My family said that I could definitely make them again.
One question though, do yours leak while in the oven? All but one of mine leaked and it made the bottoms kinda soggy. Do you have a way to prevent this?

Reply
- tatyanaseverydayfood August 16, 2017 at 1:46 pm #
  
  So glad you enjoyed this recipe! These piroshki are always soo good! That does happen to me, too. Just make sure to seal the dough as best as you can 🙂
  
  Reply
Dudley January 4, 2019 at 7:54 pm #

I’m in the middle of my second time making these. First time was last week.

Delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe.

Reply
- tatyanaseverydayfood January 6, 2019 at 11:54 am #
  
  So glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
  
  Reply
Lorrie February 28, 2019 at 8:47 am #

I am making these for a potluck this evening, and I was wondering if they can be made ahead of time and re-heated in the oven before the event? I’m sure fresh is best, but do you think they would warm up well?

Reply
- tatyanaseverydayfood February 28, 2019 at 11:04 am #
  
  Hi! Yes, you can definitely make them ahead of time then reheat them. Enjoy! 🙂
  
  Reply
sherryl March 21, 2019 at 11:47 am #

Hi, how would you replace the beef or pork with small chunks of chicken? How long would you need to cook it, would i need to make changes to anything? This is the best Piroshki recipe T have found.

Reply
- tatyanaseverydayfood March 21, 2019 at 12:40 pm #
  
  Hi! 🙂 Yes, absolutely! If you wish to do that, I would recommend cooking the chicken beforehand. I’ve actually been doing that with the ground beef, too and it results in a fluffier filling. Just saute the chicken, then proceed with the recipe
  
  Reply
Devin October 5, 2019 at 3:20 pm #

Hi there I’m trying out this recipe tomorrow and would like to know if the baking time would change if I cut them up into 16 pieces? Also do you recommend partially pre-cooking the beef or is it generally not a problem?

Reply
- tatyanaseverydayfood October 7, 2019 at 4:55 pm #
  
  Hi Devin! Yes, you can definitely precook the meat, which will make the filling lighter and fluffier. No, the timing won’t change too much, maybe a few minutes shorter baking time. Enjoy! 🙂
  
  Reply
Deborah Beiler January 10, 2020 at 11:16 am #

These are very yummy. I didn’t precook the beef and thought maybe it wouldn’t cook completely in the 30 minutes (for 8) but it passed the thermometer test. I ate one cold for lunch and it reminds me of a meatloaf sandwich. They are so versatile, and the dough is very forgiving.

Reply
- tatyanaseverydayfood January 12, 2020 at 10:10 am #
  
  I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!! 🙂 I love to eat leftovers the next day, too!
  
  Reply
Natasha November 8, 2020 at 2:29 pm #

How do you store these? Do these need to be refrigerated?

Reply
- tatyanaseverydayfood November 9, 2020 at 9:16 am #
  
  Yes, these do need to be refrigerated if you don’t enjoy them the same day. 🙂
  
  Reply