I don’t bake very often, but the weather called for some comfort food. I had some left over roasted chicken that I had no plans for, and thought I would make pirozhki(meat pies).
I didn’t have the ingredients for the usual yeasted dough and so decided to make a kefir based dough. Unfortunately I don’t have the step by step pictures, but I will definitely repeat the recipe and make sure to take the step by step pictures and add them to this post.
The doygh comes out very light and fluffy. But don’t roll it out too thin.
The resulting meat pies can be baked or fried. Also sweet fillings will work with this dough as well.
Ingredients
Dough
– 4 cups sifted gluten free all purpose flour (or regular all purpose flour)
– 2 cups kefir
– 1/2 cup oil ( I used avocado oil)
– 1 tablespoon sugar
– 1 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Filling
– 2 cups cooked chicken cubed
– 2 medium onions, chopped
– 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
– 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
– 1/2 teaspoon dried garlic
-1/4 cups chicken broth
– 1 carrot grated
-1 tablespoon oil
Directions
Dough
1. Mix kefir with oil, salt and sugar in a bowl of the stand up mixer outfitted with a hook attachment.
2. With the mixer speed set on low, slowly add flour and baking soda to the wet ingredients until the dough comes together and isn’t sticky.
3. Cover the dough with a towel and let rest for inimum 30 minutes.
Filling
1. Heat oil on medium in a 10″ skillet, add chopped oinion and cook until the onions just start to caramelize.
2. Add grated carrot, chicken, broth and spices. Cook for a few minutes and adjust the seasonings. Cool.
3. Process the mixture through a meat grinder.
To form pirozhki
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone pad.
3. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.
4. Cut out the rounds with a bisquit cutter or a glass.
5. Add a teaspoon of filling in the center of each round and pinch the ends together, closing the filling with dough.
6. Place the pie on the cookie sheet seam side down. Repeat.
7. Brush the pies with egg wash and bake untill they turn golden.
7. Enjoy!
Sweet 'n' Savory 
They look (and sound) wonderful! What are the seeds you sprinkled on top – Caraway?
Hi Anne, they are black sesame seeds, you can sprinkle anything you like, caraway, poppy, sesame
What gluten free flour blend did you use? Your own mix or a brand name? I use two kinds, a blend of 2/3 rice flour + 1/3 potato starch and another kind with 1/2 rice flour + 1/4 potato starch + 1/4 chickpea flour. Which flour blend is best for this recipe? Thank you. 🙂
I used a Trader Joe’s all purpose flour.
Thank you, also, I am allergic to milk, for the kefir what can I use instead? Is kefir a liquid or yogurt consistency? I was thinking of using vegan buttermilk and thickening it a bit until it was more kefir like by making it into a pudding like consistency, would that work? I want to know if kefir can be replaced with soy milk or would any liquid be to watery for this dough?
Vegan buttemilk should work.
Gluten free all purpose.
Larisa, I see you don’t update the blog much but hope this finds you on good health. I don’t cook much Ukrainian food anymore since I find out I have celiac, and gluten is so important to our breads and doughs! But your kefir dough change everything- I made pirozhki twice in a week because the first batch eat so fast! And they don’t have that ‘sad’ gluten free dough taste and texture- they tastes real. Thank you so much. I will cherish this pirozhki dough recipe always!
Thank you Sarah,
It means a lot. I am very glad that you have found this useful
I love this recipe, thank you so much! 😀