Pan-fried hand pies with a water dough

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Prepare the ingredients for the dough. Use all-purpose flour. You can use either fresh compressed yeast or dry granulated yeast. Either way, check the expiration date — the yeast must be fresh. If you use compressed yeast, it should have a uniform creamy color. If you choose dry yeast, you want the kind that activates in warm water, so READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.

2. Step 2:

   

   Heat the water to 95–105°F (35–40°C). To check the temperature, drop a little water on the inside of your wrist. If it feels slightly warm and you barely notice it on your skin, it's right. If it feels hot or cold, the water is either too warm or too cool, and you'll need to cool it down or warm it up a little more.

3. Step 3:

   

   If you're using fresh yeast, crumble it into the warm water and add the sugar. Stir everything together. There's no need to let this yeast sit — it's already active.

4. Step 4:

   

   Dry yeast, on the other hand, needs to be activated: add the sugar and yeast to the warm water, stir, and leave it until a fluffy foam cap forms. If no cap appears, the yeast is dead and you can't go on with it. You'll need to start over with fresh yeast.

5. Step 5:

   

   Pour the yeast mixture into a deep bowl. Sift all the flour into it, add the salt, and pour in the vegetable oil.

6. Step 6:

   

   Knead a smooth, slightly sticky dough. Knead by hand for about 7 minutes, or the same amount of time in a stand mixer.

7. Step 7:

   

   Cover the dough with a towel and leave it in a warm spot for 1 hour. After an hour the dough will have risen and is ready to shape into pies.

8. Step 8:

   

   While the dough rises, prepare all the ingredients for the filling. You can use any filling, sweet or savory. I made these with a cabbage filling. You can use either new cabbage or older storage cabbage. You can swap the dill for another favorite herb (parsley, cilantro, green onion) or use a mix.

9. Step 9:

   

   Melt the butter ahead of time and let it cool. Important! If you melt it in the microwave, don't use dishes with gold trim, metal dishes, or anything with a metallic coating. Otherwise you'll get an unplanned fireworks show in the microwave.

10. Step 10:

    

    Shred the cabbage thinly, removing the core and the tough leaves next to it.

11. Step 11:

    

    Bring about 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) of water to a boil in a saucepan (matching the amount of cabbage). Add the cabbage to the boiling water, return it to a boil, and blanch over medium heat: new cabbage for about 4 minutes, older cabbage for about 6–7 minutes. By then the cabbage should be soft.

12. Step 12:

    

    Drain the cabbage in a colander, let it cool, and squeeze it with your hands to remove the excess moisture.

13. Step 13:

    

    Hard-boil the eggs, cool and peel them, then chop them finely with a knife. The filling should have no large pieces that could tear the dough when you shape the pies.

14. Step 14:

    

    Wash the herbs, shake them well to dry, and chop them finely.

15. Step 15:

    

    In a bowl, combine all the prepared filling ingredients. Season the filling with salt and pepper and mix well.

16. Step 16:

    

    Divide the risen dough into 12–14 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball with your hands.

17. Step 17:

    

    On a floured surface, roll each ball of dough into an even circle with a rolling pin, about 4–5 inches (10–12 cm) across. Place 1–2 tablespoons of cabbage filling on each round.

18. Step 18:

    

    Pinch the edges of the dough together firmly, shaping an oblong pie. Shape the rest of the pies the same way.

19. Step 19:

    

    Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet so it fully covers the bottom of the pan. Lay a few pies seam-side down and fry over medium-high heat (mine is setting 7 of 9) until golden, 3–4 minutes (adjust to your stove and pan — it may take more or less time). Then flip the pies and fry about the same amount on the other side until golden.

20. Step 20:

    

    The pies are ready. Enjoy!