Apple Baked Piroshki
Ingredients
2 cups warm milk
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
½ cup sugar, divided
6 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, (divided into 1 cup and 5 cups + 2 Tbsp)
3 eggs,
1 and ½ Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
Instructions
For the Apple Filling:
You need: 2 Apples and ⅓ cup granulated sugar.
Chop apples finely in food processor then saute with ¼ cup sugar over medium high heat for 10 min stirring often until most of the juice has evaporated. Set aside to cool. For sweet piroshki, brush the top with sugar water as soon as they are done baking. (1 Tbsp sugar dissolved into 2 Tbsp warm water).
ow to Make the Piroshki/Buns: (Preheat your oven to 360° F at step 8).
In the bowl of an electric mixer, add 2 cups warm milk and sprinkle the top with 1 Tbsp yeast. Let sit for 5-7 five minutes.
Add 1 cup flour and ¼ cup sugar. Whisk together until blended and let it rise at room temperature for 30-45 minutes. It will rise faster in a warm place (20 minutes in a 100˚ oven, but don't let it get hotter than that or it will start to cook and ruin the yeast).
Whisk in the 3 eggs, remaining ¼ cup sugar, 1.5 Tbsp melted butter and 1 tsp salt. Now using the dough hook, add the flour 1 cup at a time letting it blend into the dough before adding the next cup. (Add the last cup ½ cup at a time so you don't over-do it). You know you've added enough flour when the dough is no longer sticking to the walls of the bowl. I ended up adding 6 cups + 2 Tbsp but it could vary slightly depending on the flour you use. Mix/knead on low speed with the dough hook for 15 minutes.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm 100˚F oven for 1 hour (2 hours in a warm room). The dough will triple in volume. Be patient. It's all worth it in the end.
Transfer your dough to a good non-stick surface and cut into 5 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll each piece of dough into a 13-14" circle.
Cut each circle with a pizza cutter into 8 equal triangles. Place about ½ Tbsp of filling onto the middle of the wide portion of each triangle.
To Roll: pinch the two edges together over the filling and seal all the way down. Seal the dough to the base over the filling. Fold in the little corners and roll it forward.
Once the piroshki are rolled up, place on a parchment lined baking sheet ½" apart with the flap side facing down so they aren't tempted to unroll. Let the piroshki rise in a warm 100˚ oven for 20 minutes until they look puffy (30-45 minutes in a warm room). The will puff up nicely and will be touching each other. Now they're ready for the oven.
Beat 1 egg and brush the tops of the piroshki with the beaten egg. Bake at 360˚F for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Notes
If you are making the sweet apple piroshki, brush them with your sugar/water glaze just as soon as they are out of the oven to give them some extra shimmer and sweetness. Tip for Success: Yeast dough will rise much faster in a warm oven. When letting a yeast dough rise in the oven, it should never be hotter than 100˚F. If you have a proofing option on your oven, use it. My old oven didn't have such a luxury and the low setting was at 150˚F which will start cooking your bread, deactivate the yeast and ruin your buns. I used to get creative by preheating to low, turning the oven off, propping the door with a wooden spoon and placing my dough over a towel in the oven. I've ruined yeast dough before by letting it get to hot and I'd love to spare you the same disappointment.
