Write. Read. Repeat.

*I do not measure much, namely spices, herbs, and other flavorings so just season with your heart, or whatever.

*For the veggies and ‘cheese’, you can add or take away for whatever flavors you want.

Dough

• 1 packet of instant yeast
• 300ml of warm (not hot) water
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 3 1/4c all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

’Meat’

• 1 packet of Gardin plant-based ground be’f (going to try Beyond Ground next.)
• Olive oil
• 2-3 tbsp Vegan amino acids
• 1/8-1/4c veggie broth- will depend on how wet the ‘meat’ is 😉
• Salt and pepper
• Ground cumin
• Ground corriander
• Chili powder
• Dried basil
• Dried dill
• Dried marjoram
• Dried garden sage
• Fresh cilantro or parsley

Veggies

• 6-9 Shiitaki mushrooms- finely diced
• 1/2-3/4 Yellow onion- finely diced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic- minced
• Vegan butter (I use Full Circle plant-based butter as it is vegetable oil-based)
• Wine (I use pinot grigio)
• Salt and pepper (there is salt and pepper in the meat, so be sure you keep that in mind when seasoning the veggies.)

Other

• Chopped up Chao Original Creamy cheese slices (use whatever vegan cheese you want or none at all. This one melts nicely.)
• Wash for on top: unsweetened, unflavored almond milk and powdered turmeric whisked together to brush on top.

Dough Steps

1. Mix the yeast, warm water, and sugar together and let sit till bubbling, usually 10-15 minutes.
2. Add the ready yeast water to your flour, mix. Add oil and salt, mix. You will mix for a while. Once in a uniform dough ball, cover with a damp towel and place in a warm (not hot) spot to proof for about 30-40 minutes. I set the bowl on my oven while it preheats.
3. Dough should be about double in size. Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed for about 5-8 minutes. Do not add too much flour or it will become dry. Once the dough has firmed a bit, poke a finger in to make a dent, it should bounce back in a few seconds to know it is ready. Let sit, covered, in a warm spot for another 10-15 minutes.
4. When ready to build the piroshkis, divide the dough into 8-10 balls. On a floured surface, roll the dough ball out into a flat circle/oval. Again, try to not use too much flour, just enough to keep it from sticking.
5. Add your filling into half of the circle/oval, keeping it about 1/2 inch away from the edge. I under-filled my first batch so don’t be scared to really pack it in there, as long as they don’t tear. Fold over the unfilled side and pinch, pull, and roll the two edges into each other, up, and toward the center creating a ‘crust’. It does look like a calzone, but I haven’t learned the other fancy folding methods yet.
6. Let sit for another 8-10 minutes.
7. Brush tops, edges, and seam with the wash mix.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until brown at 350F.

’Meat’

1. Heat olive oil in a pan. Once hot, add in the ground ‘beef’. Cook until thawed (if using frozen), then add in the amino acid and veggie broth.
2. Cook till absorbed, then add in all the spices and herbs, apart from the cilantro/parsley.
3. Once the ‘meat’ is done cooking, take off the heat and mix in the fresh cilantro/parsley.

Veggie Mix

1. Clean and chop mushrooms into small chunks.
2. Finely chop onion and mice garlic cloves. Crush the peeled garlic cloves with the side of your knife and add salt to make it easier to chop and help the garlic retain it’s juices.
3. Heat butter in pan and brown mushrooms.
4. In the same pan, adding more butter if needed, sauté onion and garlic. Add more salt and pepper, if desired.
5. Add wine, cook off, and finish sauté when you can no longer smell the wine.

Hope this was helpful. Change up the fillings to suite your tastes, but too much moister can cause them to bust open when cooking.

If you know how to do any of the fancy folding and patterns that I have seen in piroshki shops, please let me know!

Thanks for reading.