One of the symbols of homeliness in the Slavic tradition is pies and their “smaller brothers” - pies with various fillings. Each self-respecting housewife has her own, over the years proven recipe for yeast pies in a pan, since it is just them that can be cooked very quickly and simply. This baking is good because, using a universal dough, you can cook several types of this delicacy with a variety of fillings: both sweet and salty, both meat and vegetable. The article provides two examples of making dough for fried pies, several ideas for the filling are given.
Universal dough for all types of pies
No matter what skeptics-cooks say, the best dough for yeast pies (in a pan) is on the water, as it is universal and combines with absolutely all types of fillings without distorting the taste of the product, as is the case with the fermented batter. To prepare a dough for thirty pies, you will need:
- 1 kg of wheat flour;
- 2 eggs;
- 10-15 grams of dry yeast (about 2 tsp. Without a hill);
- 0.5 liters of warm water;
- 3-4 tbsp. l granulated sugar;
- 2 tbsp. l vegetable oil (melted butter can also be used);
- 2/3 tsp salt.
You will also need vegetable oil for frying pies in the amount of 1/5 liter or a little less.
How to knead the dough
It is very convenient that the yeast dough for frying pies in a pan is kneaded in a non-steaming manner, which significantly reduces the waiting time for those who want to taste delicious pastries, as well as for the cook herself, who will have more time to prepare a variety of fillers for pies. Water for kneading the dough should be warm (about 40-45 degrees), then the fermentation process will go faster, the dough will be better suited: dissolve salt, sugar and yeast in it.
Wait about 5-8 minutes: a foam appears on the surface of the liquid, confirming that the yeast has activated. Add the eggs and whisk them slightly in a yeast mass. Add 1/2 portion of flour there, constantly stirring with a spoon - the yeast dough does not like to knead with a blender, but prefers the warmth of a person’s hands. Knead the dough thoroughly, making sure that there are no lumps, add 1/2 more of the remaining portion of flour and mix everything well again, adding oil in the process. Then look at the test: if it is well formed in a lump and does not stick to your hands, then you no longer need to add flour, even if it remains. The softer the dough during kneading - the more magnificent and lighter the finished yeast pies will be. In the pan during the frying process, they will greatly increase in size, so the appearance of a small lump of dough should not be confusing. Place it in a deep bowl, cover it with a clean towel and leave it warm for 40-60 minutes. During this time, it will increase in size at least twice.
Milk dough
Another recipe for pan-fried yeast pies is based on dairy products: not only ordinary milk can be used, but also kefir, and yogurt, a mixture of both, fermented baked milk, which is good for pastry with sweet types of fillings.
An example is a popular recipe that has passed multiple tests by connoisseurs of homemade pastries.
- 2 cups yogurt or kefir;
- 2 tbsp. l granulated sugar;
- 2/3 tsp without top salt;
- 15-20 grams of dry yeast;
- 100 grams of vegetable oil;
- 6 glasses of wheat flour.
The dough is prepared according to the principle described in the previous recipe, but with a slight difference: instead of eggs, ordinary vegetable oil is added. Guided by this recipe, you can prepare dough in milk for yeast pies in a pan.
Salty toppings
There are more than two dozen filling options, but there are several of the most beloved and delicious:
- Potatoes with mushrooms: 300 grams of boiled potatoes and pan-fried champignons mixed with one onion, spassed to softness and 100 grams of sour cream. Salt and black pepper to taste.
- Cabbage with prunes: fry in a pan 500 grams of shredded cabbage with one onion and grated small carrots. When the mass is well browned, add salt and a little coriander, add 100 ml of water and simmer until cooked under the lid. 5 minutes before the end pour 10-15 prunes, cut into small pieces, mix thoroughly and cool.
- Liver with potatoes: 500 grams of boiled liver (liver, lungs, kidneys, heart), pass through a meat grinder. Stuff one onion until soft, you can mix with grated carrots with grated carrots. Add 300 grams of mashed potatoes, 1 teaspoon without a hill of salt and the same amount of black pepper. Pour 100 ml of milk or low fat cream and mix thoroughly.
- Green onions with eggs and rice: boil 100 grams of rice, mix with chopped boiled eggs (3-4 pieces) and green onion feathers (1 bunch). A great addition will be a bunch of dill and a little salt.
Sweet filling: options
Yeast pies in a pan with sweet fillings are also very good, for example:
- Cottage cheese: mix 400 grams of cottage cheese with 2 eggs, 2-3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and a small pinch of vanilla. Mix thoroughly with a blender and immediately start making pies. If the curd filling will stand for a long time, it will start to pour juice.
- Jam, it’s better to use marmalade very thick so that the filling does not flow out, and it’s convenient for you to shape the products.
- Fresh fruits. Apples, peaches, apricots, plums and pitted cherries - all this can be a great filling for pies. Mix fruit slices (400 grams) with 1 tablespoon of starch - it will absorb the juice released during the heat treatment, as well as a couple of spoons of sugar, guided by their preferences.
You can use for filling in sweet cakes, dried fruits steamed in boiling water, previously thawed fruits, boiled condensed milk.
How to make pies for frying
Molding pies is easy: knead the finished dough on a table, roll it into a sausage 4-5 cm thick, divide it into pieces of 2 cm each. Roll them with a rolling pin into cakes 0.8-1 cm thick - experienced housewives can do without rolling out, flattening a piece of dough with fingers slightly moistened with vegetable oil. In the middle of each cake put a filling (1.5-2 tablespoons) and fold the edges to the middle, pinching them tightly. Next, take the sharp corners on the sides, slightly turn them inward and unfold the finished pie with the seam down, slightly pressing it with your palm to make it more flat - this is the classic shape of yeast pies fried in a pan.
The dough should not be ventilated, so it is better to keep the main lump in the molding process under a clean towel. If you want to make pies with several types of fillings, you can make them of different shapes so as not to get confused where is the filler: if the edges of the tortilla with the filling are put together evenly and tightly, squeezed in slightly, you get a round cake. This form is ideal for baking with sweet fillings. Less commonly used is a triangular, square shape or in the form of a crescent, resembling a dumpling. It makes no sense to somehow especially decorate the seam of the dough (to make it with a pigtail, for example), since the seam can be deformed when frying.
Heat treatment
When most of the products are molded, you can start frying: in a pan, warm the oil well. It is important that the yeast pies in the pan float in the oil to half or more (deep-fried), then the product will have a smooth ruddy color, without a white strip of unburnt dough on the side. Putting the pie in the pan should always be a seam down, as sometimes during the frying process it opens up a little, and the filling flows out. Wait for the bright ruddy color of the product and carefully flip it to the other side. Do not forget that if you plan to fry pies with different fillings (sweet and salty), then the oil should be changed, as it absorbs the taste of the filling.
But if there is 100% certainty that not a single pie was damaged during the frying process and the filling didn’t get into the butter, then you can not change it. True, provided that the batch of baked goods is small (no more than 30 pieces).
Useful tips for beginners
It is undesirable for the formed products to lie on the table for a long time, it is better to sculpt them in parallel with the frying process, since soft yeast dough “floats”, the pies quickly lose their shape, stick to the table. At the same time, you do not need to mix the flour into the dough to give it a higher density, as this will negatively affect the taste of the finished pie: the crumb becomes dense, and the pie loses its airiness.
After baking in a pan, yeast pies must be laid out on a paper towel so that it absorbs the remaining fat. If this is not done, then the products, as they cool, will absorb it into themselves, acquiring an unpleasant aftertaste. When all the pies are ready, it is recommended to cover them with a clean linen cloth so that they retain freshness and softness for a long time.
When working with the dough, it is better not to use flour, but lightly grease the table and hands with vegetable oil, then there will be less smoke when frying. Do not forget that the fire of the stove should be medium, as the dough should have time to bake well.
On a note
If the yeast dough for pies fried in the pan is left, and the filling is already over, it can be placed in a plastic bag and sent to the refrigerator, its properties are preserved for about 3-4 days, which makes it possible to please the family with fresh pastries again.