Cheese & Smoked Salmon Piroshki (video)
The most delicious baked smoked salmon piroshki recipe! Piroshki are a popular snack in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Salmon and cheese piroshki are great for snacking and can even double as a meal as they’re quite rich and filling!
These savory hand pies are made with a soft yeast dough and filled with tons of smoked salmon, cream cheese, farmers cheese and fresh dill. I use a buttery and soft piroshki dough for all my piroshki recipes. They’re so fun and easy to make! Watch my video tutorial to see how I shape them into fish!
My Salmon Piroshki Video Tutorial
Watch my YouTube video tutorial for step-by-step instructions for making these delicious smoked salmon piroshki! Want to stay up to date on new recipes? Make sure to subscribe to my website emailing list and my YouTube channel and turn on notifications!
Ingredients for Smoked Salmon Piroshki
Here are the main ingredients you’ll need to make these delicious salmon and cheese piroshki!
- Smoked Salmon: for best results, I recommend using hot smoked salmon, which is a different from lox or sliced smoked salmon. This type of smoked salmon comes in a large chunk. It’s juicy, oily and flakes easily into large chunks. I get mine at Costco.
- Cream Cheese: soften the cheese at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This will make it easier to mix!
- Farmer’s Cheese: this cheese is also called quark cheese. I buy mine at a local Eastern European store; Whole Foods also carries quark cheese. If you’re not able to find, you can use whole milk ricotta cheese but the filling will be slightly different.
- Fresh Dill: for seasoning the filling and for sprinkling on top!
- Onion: for the filling
- Whole Milk: for the dough. Whole milk works best and makes the dough more buttery.
- Dry Active Yeast: for making the soft yeast dough. You can also use instant yeast, which will speed up the proofing process.
- All-Purpose Flour: this type of flour works best for the piroshki dough recipe.
Making the Piroshki Dough
I always start my salmon piroshki with the dough! It needs to proof for about 1 to 1 ½ hours, during which I can prepare the filling. This soft and buttery piroshki dough is the one I use for all my piroshki recipes and it’s very easy to make!
- Start by heating the milk. Use the microwave to heat it until it’s between 110F and 120F. This temperature range is ideal for activating the yeast. If the milk is too hot, it will kill the bacteria and the dough will not rise!
- Combine the milk and yeast in a large bowl and let the yeast proof for 5 minutes. Add in the melted butter (make sure it’s not too hot), egg, sugar and salt next. Whisk everything together until a smooth mixture forms.
- Now, you can start adding the flour. Add about 1 cup at a time, whisking it in a first, then switching to a wooden spoon. Once the dough starts to form a ball, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface.
- Knead the dough, adding more flour as needed, until a smooth and soft yeast dough forms. The dough needs to be extra soft and just slightly sticky.
- Place the kneaded dough back into your mixing bowl, cover the bowl with a clean towel or napkin and let it proof in a warm corner for about 1 to 1 ½ hours. The dough needs to proof and double in size.
Making the Salmon Filling
While the dough is proofing, I take the time to make my smoked salmon and cheese filling! This filling comes together in no time!
- Start with the onion! Preheat a medium frying pan over medium heat and melt the butter. To the melted butter, add the diced onion. Cook the onion for 5 to 7 minutes, until it’s softened but not browned. Let the onions cool at room temperature.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the softened cream cheese. Using a mixer, beat the cheese for a few minutes until it’s fluffy. Next, add in the farmer’s cheese, egg, seasonings and fresh dill.
- Now it’s time for the salmon! Remove it from its packaging and use your hands to flake the salmon into small chunks.
- Add the salmon to the cream cheese mixture and use a spatula to gently mix everything together. You can there to be chunks of salmon mixed into the cheese. Don’t overmix the filling.
How to Make Smoked Salmon Piroshki
Once I have my piroshki dough ready to go and I’ve prepared the salmon filling, it’s time to assemble and bake these piroshki! Here’s how I make these:
- Punch down the proofed dough and give a quick, 20 second knead on a floured work surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Keep the dough covered with a towel so it doesn’t dry out.
- Watch my video tutorial for a visual step-by-step for shaping these! For each piroshok, roll out a piece of dough into an oval shape, about 7 to 8 inches across. Divide the filling into 8 equal portions, about 1/3 cup per portion. Add the filling down the center of the dough.
- Use your fingers to pull the dough up and over the filling and seal it tightly. Try not to get any filling on the edges, as this will make it hard to seal the dough. To make the ‘fish tail’, seal one end of the dough without any filling inside, then take a paring knife and make a small slit. Pull the dough apart and shape it into two fins.
- Place the shaped piroshki onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Allow the piroshki to proof for 30 to 45 minutes, or until they’re extra fluffy. The longer they proof, the fluffier the dough will be. Once they’re proofed, use a pastry brush to apply an egg wash. Simply whisk together an egg with a tablespoon of water in a measuring cup. Sprinkle the glazed piroshki with fresh dill.
- Bake the smoked salmon piroshki at 350F for 28 to 30 minutes, or until they’re a rich, golden color on the outside. Allow them to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before enjoying them. The filling will be extremely hot!
Storing & Reheating Instructions
If you can’t finish all of these smoked salmon piroshki the next day, just store them in the refrigerator! Allow them to cool first, then place them into a Ziplock bag or an airtight container. These will keep well for 2 to 3 days. When you’re ready to enjoy them again, reheat them in the microwave for about 1 minute per piece. Split the piroshki in half before heating them so that the filling heats more evenly.
More Recipes!
Enjoyed this delicious piroshki recipe? Make sure to check out some of my other recipes you’re sure to enjoy! And, if you love Russian and Ukrainian food, pick up a copy of my cookbook, Beyond Borscht, with 75 traditional recipes!
- Cheesy Bacon & Chicken Baked Piroshki – creamy, cheesy chicken piroshki with green onion and dill. Great baked or fried!
- Beef & Cheese Piroshki – these are one of my favorites, filled with a juicy mixture of ground beef, onions and grated cheese!
- Cheesy Egg & Cheese Piroshki – these are great baked or fried! Fluffy yeast dough filled with creamy, melty cheese, eggs, and fresh herbs!
- Cranberry Apple Piroshki – a sweet version of baked piroshki, filled with sweet apples and tart cranberries!
- Salmon Coulibiac – delicious salmon puff pastry stuffed with mushroom rice, eggs and juicy salmon, served with a lemon sauce.
- Bacon & Cheese Potato Piroshki – cheesy, creamy and delicious potato piroshki with bacon bits, onion and dill. Great deep-fried or baked!
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Creamy Smoked Salmon Piroshki (video)
The most delicious baked piroshki, filled with a creamy smoked salmon and cheese filling!
Ingredients
For Piroshki Dough:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp dry active yeast
- 2 tsp white granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, for dusting
For Smoked Salmon Filling:
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 pound hot smoked salmon
- 12 oz cream cheese, softened at room temp
- 1 cup farmer's cheese, also called quark cheese
- 2 to 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
For Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 to 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
Instructions
Making Piroshki Dough:
- Start by heating the milk. Use the microwave to heat it until it’s between 110F and 120F. This temperature range is ideal for activating the yeast. If the milk is too hot, it will kill the bacteria and the dough will not rise!
- Combine the milk and yeast in a large bowl and let the yeast proof for 5 minutes. Add in the melted butter (make sure it’s not too hot), egg, sugar and salt next. Whisk everything together until a smooth mixture forms. Now, you can start adding the flour. Add about 1 cup at a time, whisking it in a first, then switching to a wooden spoon. Once the dough starts to form a ball, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface.
- Knead the dough, adding more flour as needed, until a smooth and soft yeast dough forms. The dough needs to be extra soft and just slightly sticky. Place the kneaded dough back into your mixing bowl, cover the bowl with a clean towel or napkin and let it proof in a warm corner for about 1 to 1 ½ hours. The dough needs to proof and double in size.
Making the Filling:
- Start with the onion! Preheat a medium frying pan over medium heat and melt the butter. To the melted butter, add the diced onion. Cook the onion for 5 to 7 minutes, until it’s softened but not browned. Let the onions cool at room temperature.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the softened cream cheese. Using a mixer, beat the cheese for a few minutes until it’s fluffy. Next, add in the farmer’s cheese, egg, seasonings and fresh dill.
- Now it’s time for the salmon! Remove it from itspackaging and use your hands to flake the salmon into small chunks. Add thesalmon to the cream cheese mixture and use a spatula to gently mix everythingtogether. You can there to be chunks of salmon mixed into the cheese. Don’tovermix the filling.
Shaping & Baking the Piroshki:
- Punch down the proofed dough and give a quick,20 second knead on a floured work surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.Keep the dough covered with a towel so it doesn’t dry out.
- Watch my video tutorial for a visual step-by-step for shaping these! For each piroshok, roll out a piece of dough into an oval shape, about 7 to 8 inches across. Divide the filling into 8 equal portions, about 1/3cup per portion. Add the filling down the center of the dough.
- Use your fingers to pull the dough up and over the filling and seal it tightly. Try not to get any filling on the edges, as this will make it hard to seal the dough. To make the ‘fish tail’, seal one end of the dough without any filling inside, then take a paring knife and make a small slit. Pull the dough apart and shape it into two fins.
- Place the shaped piroshki onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Allow the piroshki to proof for 30to 45 minutes, or until they're very fluffy. Once they’re proofed, use a pastry brush to apply an egg wash. Simply whisk together an egg with a tablespoon of water in a measuring cup. Sprinkle the glazed piroshki with fresh dill.
- Bake the smoked salmon piroshki at 350F for 28to 30 minutes, or until they’re a rich, golden color on the outside. Allow them to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before enjoying them. The filling will be extremely hot!
Storing & Reheating:
- If you can’t finish all of these smoked salmon piroshki the next day, just store them in the refrigerator! Allow them to cool first, then place them into a Zip lock bag or an airtight container. These will keep well for 2 to 3 days. When you’re ready to enjoy them again, reheat them in the microwave for about 1 minute per piece. Split the piroshki in half before heating them so that the filling heats more evenly.
Nutrition
Calories: 617kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 1263mg | Potassium: 348mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1139IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 4mg
Baked smoked salmon and cheese piroshki recipe
I can’t find the “Cambridge House Hot Smoked Honey Roasted Salmon.”
What should I use as a replacement?
Hi Bonnie! That’s just the brand I get from Costco but any brand of smoked salmon, the type that comes in a large chunk like mine, will work well. You should be able to find it right next to sliced smoked salmon. Enjoy!
this took me several hours to accomplish
Yes, it is a time intensive recipe, but totally worth it! I hope you enjoyed them!
Is it possible to pre-make them and bake the next day?
Hi! If you do want to make them the next day, I recommend refrigerating them immediately after shaping to stop the yeast from proofing. The next day, before you bake, allow the piroshki to warm back up to room temperature, until the dough is fluffy again. You may need to reseal the seams as they might open overnight. Enjoy!