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Fried pies in a dry pan

Pan-Fried Pies (No Oil)

Simple, fast, budget-friendly, and great for a filling snack! Fried in a dry skillet with no oil, these little hand pies come out lighter than usual but every bit as tasty. The dough is made with kefir, and the filling here is mashed potato — though you can fill them with anything you like.

Snezhana

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Wheat flour

300

Kefir (2.5%)

250

Baking soda

0.3

Salt

Potatoes

0.5

Onion

Milk

Butter

Vegetable oil

Ground black pepper

Salt

Butter

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 11 % 4 g

Fats 23 % 8 g

Carbohydrates 66 % 23 g

180 kcal

GI: 38 / 0 / 63

Cooking method

Step 1:

First, make the dough. Pour room-temperature kefir into a deep bowl and add the salt and baking soda. If you forgot to take the kefir out ahead of time, warm it gently on the stove or in the microwave. Any fat content works — mine is 2.5%.
Step 2:

Add the sifted flour. Sifting is important — it aerates the flour so the dough turns out light and rises nicely as it fries.
Step 3:

Knead a smooth, elastic dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it for a couple of hours (overnight is ideal). If you don't have kefir, you can skip it and use the cooking water left over from boiling the potatoes for the filling — that makes a dairy-free dough.
Step 4:

Make the filling. Wash and peel the potatoes and boil them in salted water until tender — a sharp knife should slide in easily.
Step 5:

Drain the potatoes and mash them, then add the hot milk and butter. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet and fry the chopped onion until lightly golden. Stir it into the mashed potatoes, season with salt and black pepper to taste, and mix. The filling is ready.
Step 6:

Take the rested dough out of the fridge and roll it into a long rope on a floured surface, then cut it into 12 pieces. Use more or fewer pieces depending on how big you want the pies.
Step 7:

Roll each piece out with a rolling pin into a small round no more than 1/8 inch (0.3 cm) thick. Place a tablespoon of the warm potato filling in the center of each one.
Step 8:

Pinch the edges closed and set the pies seam side down.
Step 9:

To keep the pies from burning in a dry skillet, get it good and hot first. Lay the pies in the hot pan and fry on one side over medium heat for about 3–4 minutes.
Step 10:

Flip the pies and let them brown on the other side. Cover the skillet and cook for another 5–7 minutes, so they cook through inside and the dough isn't doughy.
Step 11:

Transfer the finished pies to a plate and brush them right away with a little butter. Serve them warm with tea, coffee, or milk. Enjoy!

You can make these pies completely dairy-free: knead the dough with potato cooking water, use the same water instead of milk in the mash, and leave out the butter.
Be ready to use a little more or less flour than the recipe calls for. Go by the feel of the dough you want, not the exact amount of flour.
A quick note on leavening: when using baking soda with kefir, add it evenly and don't overdo it, or you'll get an off, soapy taste.