Baby Piroshkies

First, prepare the dough. Proof the yeast, if necessary. Combine all dough ingredients and knead until smooth and elastic, adding flour as needed. It usually takes me about 15 minutes of kneading to get it where it looks silky. I choose not to use my stand mixer because I love kneading dough. This is a very wet dough, so you might use up to a cup more of flour to get it to where it needs to be. Place in a buttered bowl, turn to coat. Cover loosely with plastic and allow to rise in a warm place for two hours. Punch down, cover, and let rise until doubled again, about 45 minutes.

Next, make the filling. Saute the mushrooms and the parsley in the butter until the mushrooms are cooked and the pan juices have almost completely evaporated. Add flour, grated onion, and sour cream to the skillet and cook until heated through and well mixed, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and heavy pepper. Take off heat and stir in eggs and green onions. Taste again, season if necessary.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment. Roll dough out on a floured surface to about 1/8″ thickness. Using a 3″ biscuit cutter, cut out rounds. Gather scraps, knead slightly and re-roll to repeat the process. Each round will probably need to be individually flattened with a rolling pin to re-achieve the thickness, as the dough will continue to puff and be naughty. Place 1 heaping TEASPOON in the center of the round, fold over, and crimp edges with fork. Once a baking sheet is full of piroshki, mix the beaten egg with 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash and brush the tops with the egg wash. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until tops are a beautiful golden brown. Makes about 60 baby piroshkies.

These freeze very nicely. I love to having these on hand during the cold months to serve with soups or roasted chicken. Also, if any rounds are left after the mushroom filling is used up, place a small amount of raspberry jam and chocolate chips as filling (my 7-year-old’s idea).