Main Page
Baking
Fruit pie

Yeast-free kefir pie

Golden, big, and hearty! Easy and simple to make! This yeast-free kefir pie is shaped much like traditional Caucasian pastries. But the dough is made with baking soda, which is much faster. The potato and cottage cheese filling is a bit unusual, but it comes out very tasty. Give it a try!

Julia

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Kefir

250

Salt

0.5

Vegetable oil

Baking soda (scant)

Wheat flour

380

Potatoes (boiled)

200

Cottage cheese

200

Parsley

Dill

Salt

Eggs

0.5

Sesame seeds

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 21 % 9 g

Fats 12 % 5 g

Carbohydrates 67 % 28 g

185 kcal

GI: 15 / 0 / 85

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make a yeast-free kefir pie? Measure out the ingredients for the dough. Kefir of any fat content works. Take it out ahead of time so it isn't cold. Use a neutral vegetable oil.
Step 2:

Pour the kefir into a bowl, add the soda, and stir. Leave the mixture until lots of bubbles appear on the surface. That's the soda being activated as it reacts with the lactic acid.
Step 3:

Add the salt and vegetable oil to the kefir. Stir.
Step 4:

Sift the flour into the bowl. Sifting removes any stray bits from the flour and aerates it, so the pie rises better while baking. Don't add all the flour at once — you may need less than the stated amount. It depends on the fat content of the kefir and the properties of the flour. If, on the other hand, the dough isn't thick enough, add a little more flour as you knead.
Step 5:

Knead the dough. It should hold its shape well but be soft and tender. Wrap the dough in a bag or plastic wrap and leave it on the counter for 20 to 30 minutes. In that time the gluten will relax and the dough will become more pliable and elastic.
Step 6:

Make the filling for the pie. Peel the potatoes ahead of time and boil them in salted water until tender. Check them with a knife — if they're soft, they're done. Drain the water and let the potatoes cool. Use cottage cheese of whatever fat content you prefer.
Step 7:

Wash the parsley and dill and dry them well. Remove any tough, thick stems. Finely chop the herbs. You can also use green onion or cilantro.
Step 8:

Mash the boiled potatoes. I did it with a fork. But if you want a smoother filling, mash the potatoes with a masher while they're hot, then cool them, and run the cottage cheese through a blender.
Step 9:

Combine the potatoes, cottage cheese, and chopped herbs. Add salt if needed. Mix well.
Step 10:

Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a round sheet about 1/3 inch (7 to 8 mm) thick.
Step 11:

Put the filling in the middle of the dough.
Step 12:

Lift the edges of the dough and gather them together over the filling. Pinch them well to seal.
Step 13:

Turn the dough over and roll it out gently, without pressing hard, to form a round pie. Make a small hole in the center for steam to escape.
Step 14:

Beat the egg lightly until smooth and brush it over the top of the pie with a pastry brush. If you like, sprinkle the pie with sesame seeds — I used white and black.
Step 15:

Bake the pie in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden. The baking time and setting may differ — go by how your own oven runs. Mine came out a fairly big pie, about 12 inches (30 cm) across.
Step 16:

The pie can be served warm or cooled. Enjoy!

You can make this pie with all sorts of fillings — various combinations of cottage cheese, cheese, and herbs, with vegetables and meat added in.
Keep in mind that everyone's oven is different. The temperature and baking time may differ from those in the recipe. To make any baked dish a success, use the helpful information on how ovens behave!
So the oven has time to reach the right temperature, turn it on ahead of time (10 to 20 minutes before you start).
For whether you can swap baking powder for baking soda, how to add them so your baking turns out fluffy, how to avoid an unpleasant soda taste, and more, read the article "Baking powder or baking soda — which is better?"