These fluffy fried balls, “pereschia” or “piroshki” are everyone’s favorite. No one can resist their taste, whether they are vegan/fasting piroshki with potato or with feta cheese. The filling varies from place to place and everyone fills them with whatever they want. The most popular are the ones with potato, cheese, minced meat, but I’ve also seen sausages and sauerkraut fillings. One thing is for sure, the piroshki will disappear immediately!!!

Even though they are fried, they don’t absorb much oil. But if you want, you can simply oil their surface and bake them in the oven at 200°C / 400°F.

A very good friend of mine of Pontic descent, who I think made the best piroshki I’ve ever eaten (in the years when I didn’t have celiac disease) shared a secret tip with me: instead of tap water in the dough, we put the water in which the potatoes were boiled. You can also flavor this water by boiling an onion and a bay leaf together. Do not add salt though, because the potatoes may be tastier that way, but the dough to which you add the salted water will not rise (speaking from experience! 😉 )

It’s a pie that goes everywhere! At school for the children, at work, snacks for the ouzo, an afternoon snack. But if you do show it off in front of people, make sure you have an extra couple to offer to all those who will see it and drool! The truth is, I have not yet met a person who doesn’t like piroshki.

The recipe I’m giving you is for the most classic piroshki with potato. You can fill them with whatever you want.

My advice is to make two portions of piroshki dough and fill them half with the potato and half with cheese. I’ll tell you again, they are amazing! In my own family of 4, with my 2 boys in their teens, the 2 doses of piroshki barely make it past 24 hours before vanishing!


Yields16 ServingsDifficultyIntermediate

Prep Time35 minsCook Time15 minsTotal Time50 mins

Tip: Check off the ingredients you have used in the recipe or note the ingredients you have and add the rest to you shopping list to buy them. - Attention: All ingredients  must be checked that are Gluten-Free and without traces of gluten.

for dough
 350 g gluten-free flour for bread Schär's Mix B – Mix Bread
 10 g dry yeast or double the amount for fresh yeast
 1 tbsp sugar
 2 tbsp lukewarm water for the yeast
 40 ml vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil)
 250 ml of the water in which the potatoes were boiled (lukewarm to around 40°C/100°F)
 ½ tsp salt
for filling
 500 g potatoes
 1 onion
 2 tbsp vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil)
 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped or half the quantity if it is for dry or a dill
 salt
 pepper
 sweet or spicy red pepper (optional)
for frying
 plenty of vegetable oil for frying (I used sunflower oil)

Abbreviations: g=grams kg= kilograms cup=250 ml tsp= teaspoon=5 ml  tbsp= tablespoon=3 tsp=15 ml ml= millilitre= (1ml=0.034 fl oz / 1fl oz=29.6 ml) l=litre/liter=1000ml

1

Clean and cut potatoes into pieces.

2

Put them in a pot of water and let them boil well for about 15 Minutes. Optionally we can add a whole peeled onion and a bay leaf for more flavor.

3

When they boil, drain them. Discard the bay leaf and the onion. We keep the amount of this broth that we will need and let it cool.

4

Sift the flour into a bowl. Make a well in the flour and place the yeast, sugar and two tbsp. lukewarm water (sugar helps to activate the yeast quickly). Leave it aside until the yeast activates, about 30 Minutes. For faster time, to reduse itin half, we can place it on heated radiators or in the oven at 50°C/120°F.

5

Once the yeast has activated / risen, add the rest of the ingredients except the salt. Μake sure that all the ingredients are lukewarm at a temperature of around 40°C/100°F. For greater convenience, combine and mix all the liquids together and then pour them into the flour/yeast mix.

6

Knead well until flour absorbs all the liquids and finally add the salt, kneading a little more. The dough sticks to our hands quite a bit.

7

Cover the bowl with the dough with a cling film or cover it with a wet kitchen towel and leave it aside until it rises and almost doubles its volume for about 1 Hour . Again we can cut the time in half by placing it on the radiator or in the oven at 50°C/120°F.

8

While waiting for dough, prepare the filling.

9

Mash the potatoes with a fork.

10

Add the salt, pepper and our herbs (oregano or dill) and mix them.

11

Clean and chop the onion.

12

Put the oil in a deep sauce pan and sauté the chopped onion.

13

When the onions are sautéed, turn off the heat and add the potato filling and mix everything together. We leave it aside to cool.

14

Once the dough has risen and is ready, take a small amount, about the size of a walnut, and open it with hands about 10-12 cm / 4-5” inces, about the size of our palm.

15

Fill them with about 1 tbsp. and close it well. To make the edges of the pie stick, you can brush them with a little water.

16

Shape it slightly by hands, so that it takes the desired shape.

17

Place them on a pan with greaseproof paper on it and cover them with a soaked in warm water kitchen towel, so that they do not dry out.

18

By the time we finished of shaping all the piroshki, about 16 pcs for this batch, you will see that they will increase a little their size.

19

If it is not warm enough in your kitchen where you make/shape the piroshki, then put them in the oven at 35°C-50°C/95°F-120°F, but always covered with the wet kitchen towel. From time to time check the kitchen towel, if it gets dry out and our piroshki also dry out until are everything is made.

20

Place plenty of vegetable oil for frying (I used sunflower oil) in a deep-frying pan, preferably non-stick, and let it to hot enough before frying.

21

Fry on medium heat, turning them from all sides, so that they get a golden brown color.

22

Prefer to eat them as is still warm.

23

Those that will remain (if they remain) will be kept in an airtight container so that they do not dry out.

Ingredients

for dough
 350 g gluten-free flour for bread Schär's Mix B – Mix Bread
 10 g dry yeast or double the amount for fresh yeast
 1 tbsp sugar
 2 tbsp lukewarm water for the yeast
 40 ml vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil)
 250 ml of the water in which the potatoes were boiled (lukewarm to around 40°C/100°F)
 ½ tsp salt
for filling
 500 g potatoes
 1 onion
 2 tbsp vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil)
 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped or half the quantity if it is for dry or a dill
 salt
 pepper
 sweet or spicy red pepper (optional)
for frying
 plenty of vegetable oil for frying (I used sunflower oil)

Directions

1

Clean and cut potatoes into pieces.

2

Put them in a pot of water and let them boil well for about 15 Minutes. Optionally we can add a whole peeled onion and a bay leaf for more flavor.

3

When they boil, drain them. Discard the bay leaf and the onion. We keep the amount of this broth that we will need and let it cool.

4

Sift the flour into a bowl. Make a well in the flour and place the yeast, sugar and two tbsp. lukewarm water (sugar helps to activate the yeast quickly). Leave it aside until the yeast activates, about 30 Minutes. For faster time, to reduse itin half, we can place it on heated radiators or in the oven at 50°C/120°F.

5

Once the yeast has activated / risen, add the rest of the ingredients except the salt. Μake sure that all the ingredients are lukewarm at a temperature of around 40°C/100°F. For greater convenience, combine and mix all the liquids together and then pour them into the flour/yeast mix.

6

Knead well until flour absorbs all the liquids and finally add the salt, kneading a little more. The dough sticks to our hands quite a bit.

7

Cover the bowl with the dough with a cling film or cover it with a wet kitchen towel and leave it aside until it rises and almost doubles its volume for about 1 Hour . Again we can cut the time in half by placing it on the radiator or in the oven at 50°C/120°F.

8

While waiting for dough, prepare the filling.

9

Mash the potatoes with a fork.

10

Add the salt, pepper and our herbs (oregano or dill) and mix them.

11

Clean and chop the onion.

12

Put the oil in a deep sauce pan and sauté the chopped onion.

13

When the onions are sautéed, turn off the heat and add the potato filling and mix everything together. We leave it aside to cool.

14

Once the dough has risen and is ready, take a small amount, about the size of a walnut, and open it with hands about 10-12 cm / 4-5” inces, about the size of our palm.

15

Fill them with about 1 tbsp. and close it well. To make the edges of the pie stick, you can brush them with a little water.

16

Shape it slightly by hands, so that it takes the desired shape.

17

Place them on a pan with greaseproof paper on it and cover them with a soaked in warm water kitchen towel, so that they do not dry out.

18

By the time we finished of shaping all the piroshki, about 16 pcs for this batch, you will see that they will increase a little their size.

19

If it is not warm enough in your kitchen where you make/shape the piroshki, then put them in the oven at 35°C-50°C/95°F-120°F, but always covered with the wet kitchen towel. From time to time check the kitchen towel, if it gets dry out and our piroshki also dry out until are everything is made.

20

Place plenty of vegetable oil for frying (I used sunflower oil) in a deep-frying pan, preferably non-stick, and let it to hot enough before frying.

21

Fry on medium heat, turning them from all sides, so that they get a golden brown color.

22

Prefer to eat them as is still warm.

23

Those that will remain (if they remain) will be kept in an airtight container so that they do not dry out.

Gluten Free Piroshki – Vegan with Potato OR with Feta Cheese
  • Fresh yeast gives a better and fluffier result. But make sure to take it out of the fridge earlier, so that it comes to room temperature before use.
  • The liquid ingredients you pour into the yeast should be at a temperature around of 40°C/100°F. The best test is to dip your little finger and check it. It should feel slightly warmer than your hand. This helps to activate the yeast faster and to make our dough rise faster. But if it is much hotter, then our yeast will “burn out” and be destroyed. If you’re not sure, then it’s better to keep it cooler and wait a little longer for it to activate /rise.
  • You can add feta cheese to this filling, but reduce the salt you put on the potatoes. Or make a batch of dough as well and fill them with grated feta after first adding some pepper for deliciousness. That’s what I usually do because otherwise it’s not enough for us. Because my boys are in their teens. Those of you who have boys at that age, will understand me!
  • Always add salt at the end when you working with yeast doughs.
  • For the remaining piroshky, always use an airtight container so that your pies remain soft and fluffy.
  • If you don’t want to fry them, then brush them with oil and bake them in the oven at 200°C / 400°F.

Good Luck and Bon Appétit!!!

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2 Comments

  1. Masha December 9, 2023 at 11:20 pm

    I really want to print out this recipe but I can’t – the print option only shows the ingredients and the first couple steps. I’ve tried on multiple browsers. Then I tried to copy and paste the recipe to print on Word, but I can’t copy it either. I’d love to be able to use this recipe and more but I don’t cook with my computer open so I can’t. Please fix the problem!

    Reply
    1. vivoglutenfree December 10, 2023 at 9:49 am

      I’m working on this for the last days. As far for copy/paste, I had been recently been stolen my recipe and photos by someone and that’s why I prevent copy/paste. I’m sending you by email this recipe in pdf file. Please notify me if you got the mail. Do not hesitate to write to me.

      Reply

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