Traditional Russian Pirozhki

Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 45 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk, warmed
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 medium head of cabbage, finely chopped
• 6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

Recipe

• 1 place 1/2 cup milk in a cup or small bowl. stir in sugar and sprinkle yeast over the top. set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. pour the remaining milk into a large bowl.
• 2 add the melted butter, egg, salt and 1 cup of flour to the large bowl with the milk. stir in the yeast mixture. mix in flour 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and doesn't stick to your hands.
• 3 cover the bowl loosely and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour. dough should almost triple in size.
• 4 while you wait for the dough to rise, melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
• 5 add cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, until cabbage has wilted. mix in the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
• 6 continue to cook, stirring occasionally until cabbage is tender. set this aside for the filling.
• 7 place the risen dough onto a floured surface and gently form into a long snake about 2 inches wide.
• 8 cut into 1 inch pieces and roll each piece into a ball. flatten the balls by hand until they are 4 to 5 inches across.
• 9 place a spoonful of the cabbage filling in the center and fold in half to enclose. pinch the edges together to seal in the filling.
• 10 preheat the oven to 400 degrees f (200 degrees c). line one or two baking sheets with aluminum foil. place the pirozhki onto the baking sheet, leaving room between them for them to grow.
• 11 bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.