Cookbook:Karelian Pasties (Karjalanpiirakat)

Karelian Pasties (Karjalanpiirakat)
Category	Pastry recipes
Yield	20 pastries
Difficulty

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Karelian pasties (Karjalanpiirakat in Finnish) are traditional pasties from North Karelia, Finland. Today they are eaten throughout Finland. According to the traditional recipe, the pasties are made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice. Butter, often mixed with boiled egg (munavoi), is spread over the hot pasties before eating.

There are also versions with carrot or potato filling.

Ingredients

Filling

• 500 ml boiling water
• 300 ml short-grain white rice
• 900 ml milk
• 1½ tsp salt

Crust

• 200 ml cold water
• 1½ tsp salt
• 350 ml rye flour
• 150 ml wheat flour

Moistening

• 100 ml milk
• 50 g butter

Egg-butter spread (munavoi)

• 50 g butter, softened
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• ¼ tsp salt (optional)
• ½ can (125 g) cottage cheese (optional)

Procedure

Filling

1. Mix the rice into the boiling water. Boil until the water has saturated the rice.
2. Add the milk, and stir the filling for a few minutes. Reduce heat and agitate the porridge. Cook for about 40 minutes. Stir the porridge every now and then. When the porridge is ready, it will seem thick.
3. Mix in the salt, and cool the porridge.

Crust

1. Mix the flours and salt into the cold water.
2. Knead the dough until smooth and pliable.
3. Shape the dough into a block, and divide it into about twenty pieces.
4. Roll the pieces into balls, flatten them into small discs, and cover them with plastic.
5. Roll out the discs into thin circles, approximately 17 cm in diameter.

Baking

1. Spread some of the rice filling in an oblong shape on each dough circle.
2. Crimp the edges together with your fingers to make a crust.
3. Bake the pasties at about 250–300°C for about 15 minutes, until the crust is browned.

Finishing

1. Heat the butter and milk together until the butter is melted.
2. Brush the pasties with hot milk and butter.
3. Lay the pasties on each other and rest them under a towel and baking paper.
4. Beat together the munavoi ingredients, and use it as butter on the pasties.