Pan-fried hand pies with dry yeast

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather all the ingredients for the pies. Use all-purpose flour. Any odorless vegetable oil will do. Instead of green onion and dill, you can use any herbs you prefer. Start by making the dough.

2. Step 2:

   

   Some yeast needs to be activated by first dissolving it in a warm liquid; other kinds can go straight into the flour. For this dough, use the kind that needs activating first. To make the dough, use a deep bowl that's easy to mix dry and wet ingredients in. Heat the water to 99–104°F (37–40°C). Dissolve the sugar in it and add the yeast.

3. Step 3:

   

   If you don't have a cooking thermometer, you can judge the temperature this way: drop a bit of water on the inside of your wrist. If it feels neutral — neither cold nor hot — the temperature is right. Too cold, and the yeast works slowly and needs more time; too hot, and the yeast dies, the dough won't rise, and the finished pies are ruined.

4. Step 4:

   

   Add 3–4 tablespoons of sifted flour, stir, and leave it in a warm place for 10–15 minutes. Sift the flour for the dough to remove fine debris and aerate it so the dough comes out light. When a fluffy cap forms on the surface, the yeast is active and ready to work with. Add the salt and half the oil — you'll need the rest later. Mix well, so the salt dissolves and the oil disperses evenly through the mixture.

5. Step 5:

   

   Sift half the required amount of flour into the bowl. Stir with a spoon until smooth. Sift the rest of the flour into a separate container.

6. Step 6:

   

   Flour of the same grade but from different brands can behave differently, so add it in small additions to reach the right consistency. When it gets hard to stir with a spoon, switch to your hands. Knead the dough well.

7. Step 7:

   

   The dough should be soft and supple. Grease the bottom and sides of the bowl with vegetable oil so the dough doesn't stick. Work the finished dough over with oiled hands too. Cover the bowl with a napkin or towel so it doesn't dry out and rises well. Leave it in a warm place for about 1–1.5 hours.

8. Step 8:

   

   Peel and clean the potatoes and rinse them well. Cut them into small, evenly sized pieces so they all cook through at the same time and quickly. Boil them until tender — about 20–30 minutes, depending on your stove and the potato variety. No need to salt.

9. Step 9:

   

   While the potatoes cook, pick the wilted parts off the herbs and rinse them under running water. Dry them well with cotton or paper towels. Chop them with a knife or blender — I like to see pieces of herb in the filling, so I use a knife. Bring the milk to a boil and take it off the heat right away.

10. Step 10:

    

    Drain all the water off the cooked potatoes. Add the milk and mash them while they're still hot. It's better not to use a blender, since that makes the purée heavy and very sticky and hard to work with. Add the chopped herbs, salt, and mash thoroughly until smooth. The filling is ready. Only fill the pies once it has cooled, or you'll ruin the dough.

11. Step 11:

    

    When the dough has grown to 1.5–2 times its size, it's ready to work with. Pinch off pieces and roll them into balls the size of a large walnut. Set them on a floured work surface.

12. Step 12:

    

    Form the pies. Shape them with oiled or floured hands — but keep in mind that too much flour on a pie will burn during frying. Roll a ball of dough into a round about 1/4 inch (0.4–0.5 cm) thick.

13. Step 13:

    

    Shape the filling into an oblong "patty."

14. Step 14:

    

    Pinch the dough closed all along the edge. Gently flatten the pie and set it seam-side down on the floured surface.

15. Step 15:

    

    Shape all the pies this way. By now the first ones will have risen a little and grown in size.

16. Step 16:

    

    Whatever skillet you use, pour in enough oil for the pies to sit halfway submerged. Heat the oil over medium heat, since working with very hot oil is dangerous and you can get burned. To keep the oil from spattering, you can add a pinch of salt — it absorbs any moisture. Check that the oil is hot enough by dropping in a small piece of dough; it should sizzle right up.

17. Step 17:

    

    Gently lower the pies into the oil. Fry them in the skillet on both sides until golden. Transfer the finished pies to a plate lined with paper towels to blot off the excess oil.