Pan-Fried Yeast Hand Pies

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather all the ingredients you'll need to make the yeast hand pies in a skillet.

2. Step 2:

   

   These pies can be made with absolutely any filling — the main thing is that it's fully cooked. So if you want meat pies, the meat needs to be fried until done beforehand. They can also be made with a sweet filling. Today I'm making them with potato. For that, I boiled potatoes, mashed them, and added onion sautéed in butter. I mixed everything, salted it to taste, and let it cool.

3. Step 3:

   

   We'll warm the milk a little, but not too much, or we'll kill the yeast. Pour the warm milk into a bowl and add the yeast and sugar. Mix everything into a smooth liquid.

4. Step 4:

   

   Sift 3 tablespoons of flour into the bowl with the milk and yeast. Mix everything until smooth.

5. Step 5:

   

   Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and set it in a warm place for 15 minutes. In that time, the yeast should start working and form a dense foam. If it doesn't, the yeast is no longer good to use.

6. Step 6:

   

   In a separate bowl, crack the egg and mix it with a fork or whisk until smooth. Pour half of the egg into the risen yeast mixture, add the salt, and stir.

7. Step 7:

   

   Now sift 1 cup of flour into the bowl with the yeast mixture and knead the dough. It will be sticky, but that's fine.

8. Step 8:

   

   Pour the vegetable oil into the dough and knead again.

9. Step 9:

   

   Now gradually add the remaining flour and knead a soft dough. Let it rest on the counter for 5 minutes.

10. Step 10:

    

    Divide the dough into twelve equal pieces and roll them into balls.

11. Step 11:

    

    Using a rolling pin, roll each ball out into a thin round.

12. Step 12:

    

    Place the filling on each round.

13. Step 13:

    

    Bring the opposite edges together and pinch them shut along the whole length.

14. Step 14:

    

    Turn the pies seam-side down and press the tops down a little.

15. Step 15:

    

    Here's how they turn out.

16. Step 16:

    

    Pour vegetable oil into a skillet, about a centimeter deep, and heat it over medium heat. Checking whether the oil is ready is very simple: take a piece of ordinary vermicelli and dip it in the oil — if it turns white and bubbles form around it, the oil is ready for frying. Put the pies in the pan seam-side down, lower the heat, and fry for 3–5 minutes per side, until golden brown.

17. Step 17:

    

    Take the finished pies out of the pan and set them on a paper-towel-lined plate to soak up the excess oil.

18. Step 18:

    

    Serve our pan-fried pies hot or cold with milk, tea, or coffee.

19. Step 19:

    

    Enjoy!