Egg Cheese Hand Pies (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Yeast Dough

01 - 1 cup whole milk
02 - 2 tsp white sugar
03 - 1 tbsp dry active yeast
04 - 1 tsp sea salt
05 - 1/3 cup butter, melted
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 3 cups all-purpose flour

→ Cheese Filling

08 - 6 large eggs, hard-boiled, chopped
09 - 1/3 cup mayonnaise
10 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
11 - 2 1/2 cups farmer's cheese (tvorog)
12 - 3 green onions, green parts only, chopped
13 - 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
14 - 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
15 - 1 tsp dried garlic
16 - 1 tsp dried onion powder
17 - 2 tsp sea salt
18 - Ground black pepper, to taste
19 - 1 large egg

→ Other

20 - 3 to 5 cups canola oil, for frying
21 - 1 large egg, beaten (for baking method only)

# Instructions:

01 - Warm the milk to 120-130°F (49-54°C). Add to a big bowl, stir in sugar, and scatter yeast on top. Let it sit for 5 minutes till bubbly. Mix in egg, cooled melted butter, and salt, stirring until everything's blended together.
02 - Slowly mix in flour, first with a whisk then swapping to a spatula. Once it clumps together, move to a floured counter. Add more flour until it feels soft but not sticky. Knead about 4-6 minutes until it looks smooth and bounces back.
03 - Put your kneaded dough back in the bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Leave it somewhere warm until it grows twice as big, usually takes about 1 to 1½ hours.
04 - Put eggs in cold water in a pot. Get the water boiling, add some salt, and cook them for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, drain, and drop eggs into ice water so they cool fast. Peel them when they're cool enough to handle.
05 - Chop the cold eggs and dump them in a big bowl. Throw in mayonnaise, raw egg, mozzarella, and farmer's cheese. Add dill, parsley, green onions, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir everything up so it's all mixed together.
06 - Press down on the puffy dough and move it to a floured counter. Cut into 12-16 pieces (you'll get smaller ones with 16). Keep them under a towel so they don't dry out. Using a floured rolling pin, flatten each piece into a 6-inch circle (4-inch if making smaller ones). Scoop 1/3 to 1/2 cup filling in the middle.
07 - Pull all 4 edges of dough up to meet at the top, then pinch the edges closed making sure no filling touches where you're pinching. Flip them over, pat gently to make squares, and set on a baking sheet with some flour on it.
08 - Let piroshki puff up for 30 minutes. Heat 1/2-inch canola oil in a deep pan to 275-300°F (135-149°C). Cook seam-side down first until golden, then flip and cook the other side. Fry 2-3 at once, don't crowd the pan. Put them on a wire rack with paper towels to soak up extra oil.
09 - Heat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Put piroshki seam-side up with room between them. Brush with beaten egg and maybe sprinkle sesame seeds or fresh dill on top. Let them puff up for 30-45 minutes, then bake for 28-35 minutes until they turn golden.

# Notes:

01 - You can eat these tasty pockets warm or cool, and they're great for taking on the go.
02 - Always keep your dough covered when you're not using it or it'll dry out.
03 - Make sure your oil stays between 275-300°F while frying - hotter will burn them, cooler makes them too greasy.

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