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If you liked the potato or apple pirojki, you will love these meat filled Belyashi! Some people refer to theses as chebureki, but chebureki are usually made with raw meat and have a thinner dough. The dough is so easy when using a Breadmaker. Serve these meat piroshki by themselves or pair them with that awesome garlic dip you might recall from the potato piroshki. I know these are originally made with lamb, but turkey and beef are more practical and the flavor is fantastic!
Ingredients for the Meat Piroshki Dough:
1 1/2 Tbsp oil
15 oz warm water
4 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (divided)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
Ingredients for the Meat Filling:
1 lb ground turkey
1 lb ground beef (Fat content: 80/20)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 large onion, finely diced
1 medium carrot, finely grated
3 Tbsp dill
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 cup warm water
Other Ingredients:
Enough canola oil to go half-way up the side of the piroshky when frying.
Lots of extra flour to dust the cutting board (I probably use at least 1/2 cup extra flour)
Ingredients for Garlic Dip – “Vmochanka”
(this is for one serving, so increase it accordingly):
1/4 cup warm water
1 Tbsp olive oil (you can use any kind of oil really)
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp salt
How to Make Russian Pirojki (Chebureki) Dough:
How to make the Dough:
1. The easiest way to do this is in a bread maker. If you have one, set it to the dough setting and add the ingredients in the following order: Oil, water, 2 cups flour, salt, 2 cups + 2 Tbsp flour*, yeast.
A bread maker will do the following: mix, let dough rise, mix again and let the dough rise (It takes about 1 to 1 1/2 hours) and once it’s done in the bread maker, its ready to go.
*to get an exact flour measurement, use a dry ingredients measuring cup and scrape off the top with the back of a butter knife.
You can also make this dough using a stand mixer with a dough hook on speed 2 (mix all the ingredients together, let rise, mix again and then let it rise in a warm place (like the oven). (It should be 2 to 2 1/2 times in volume). While it’s rising, work on the meat filling for piroshki – see below.
2. Put the finished dough onto a well floured cutting board, dust the dough with flour and with well-floured hands, shape it into a large log.
It will rise more as you make the piroshki
3. Cut off pieces one at a time about 3/4″ thick.
4. Place the piece of dough over your well-floured hand (dough will be sticky) and shape it into a 3″ to 4″ circle using your hands. Do not put flour on the side where you are going to put the meat, otherwise the sides won’t seal.
5. Stir the meat mix to distribute the juices. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of meat filling in the center.Cover the meat with the sides of the dough (being careful not to let oils or juices seep out), and pinch the edges together to seal the dough. Flatten the pirojki slightly to make them a more uniform size.
Notes:
It helps to wash your hands half-way through the process to keep the dough from really sticking to your hand. And keep those hands well-floured!
6. Heat oil in a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pan or cast iron dutch oven. There should be enough oil to cover the pirojki half-way up the side.
7. Place them in the hot oil (about 330˚ F) and fry until deep golden brown on each side. Sometimes they puff up a lot on one side so you may end up with a third side that needs to be fried.
8. Place on paper towels to cool and enjoy! Try the garlic dip – it’s GOOD!
How to Make Meat filling for Belyashi:
1. Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Brown ground beef and turkey, breaking it up into small pieces with a spatula. Season meat with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/ tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp garlic powder.
2. When the meat is almost done, add diced onion and saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add shredded carrots and saute another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add 3 Tbsp dill, mix well.
5. Add mayo, stir well.
6. Stir in 1/2 cup water to moisten the meat mix. Transfer meat mix to a bowl and let cool to warm or room temperature.
Meat Piroshki (Belyashi)
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Dough:
- 1 1/2 Tbsp oil
- 15 oz warm water
- 4 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
Ingredients for the Meat Filling:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 lb ground beef, Fat content: 80/20
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 large onion, finely diced
- 1 medium carrot, finely grated
- 3 Tbsp dill
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup warm water
Other Ingredients:
- Enough canola oil to go half-way up the side of the piroshky when frying.
- Lots of extra flour to dust the cutting board, I probably use at least 1/2 cup extra flour
- this is for one serving, so increase it accordingly
Instructions
How to Make Meat filling for Belyashi:
- Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Brown ground beef and turkey, breaking it up into small pieces with a spatula. Season meat with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/ tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp garlic powder.
- When the meat is almost done, add diced onion and saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add shredded carrots and saute another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 3 tbsp dill, mix well.
- Add mayo, stir well.
- Stir in 1/2 cup water to moisten the meat mix. Transfer meat mix to a bowl and let cool to warm or room temperature.
How to make the Dough:
- The easiest way to do this is in a bread maker. If you have one, set it to the dough setting and add the ingredients in the following order: Oil, water, 2 cups flour, salt, 2 cups + 2 Tbsp flour, yeast. A bread maker will do the following: mix, let dough rise, mix again and let the dough rise (It takes about 1 to 1 1/2 hours) and once it’s done in the bread maker, its ready to go.
- You can also make this dough using a stand mixer with a dough hook on speed 2(mix all the ingredients together, let rise, mix again and then let it rise in a warm place (like the oven). (It should be 2 to 2 1/2 times in volume). While it's rising, work on the meat filling for piroshki - see below.
- Put the finished dough onto a well floured cutting board, dust the dough with flour and with well-floured hands, shape it into a large log.It will rise more as you make the piroshki.
- Cut off pieces one at a time about 3/4″ thick.
- Place the piece of dough over your well-floured hand (dough will be sticky) and shape it into a 3″ to 4″ circle using your hands. Do not put flour on the side where you are going to put the meat, otherwise the sides won’t seal.
- Stir the meat mix to distribute the juices. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of meat filling in the center.Cover the meat with the sides of the dough (being careful not to let oils or juices seep out), and pinch the edges together to seal the dough. Flatten the pirojki slightly to make them a more uniform size.
- Heat oil in a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pan or cast iron dutch oven. There should be enough oil to cover the pirojki half-way up the side.
- Place them in the hot oil (about 330° F) and fry until deep golden brown on each side. Sometimes they puff up a lot on one side so you may end up with a third side that needs to be fried.
- Place on paper towels to cool and enjoy!
Is there a way of knowing that the dough is no longer raw/sticky inside the piroshki? Do I just tear one open to test?
Hi Anna, you may check it a few ways. First, you may check it with a food thermometer. You may do a touch test also, to see if it springs back. finally your cook time and appearance will dictate. But more than anything ensure they are all uniform in size so you can better gauge how long each takes to cook to ensure it’s cooked through. I hope this is helpful.
The dough ended up being crusty like an eggroll. What would cause that?
Hi Anya, I haven’t had that happen – could it be that your oil was too hot? Too hot and it will brown too quickly and if the oil is too cold, it will absorb alot of grease and that would also negatively affect the texture.
Can I make the dough the day before and refrigerate it? I guess I would need to let it rise again?
Hi Anya, I have always made it fresh. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Thank you for the recipe.
If I wanted to double the recipe for dough, would I have to add extra yeast as well?
Hi Yana! Yes- you’ll double all the ingredients.
The smell of the cooking meat mixture was intoxicating! I replaced the turkey with cubed potatoes that had been cooked in the microwave. The dough (using the newer recipe) was wonderful. It was not difficult to do “by hand” instead of in a bread mixer. The completed piroshki was delicious. Next time, though, I will bake the piroshki instead of frying.
Hi Lynne! Thank you for the feedback. I’m glad they were enjoyed!
Made your recipe yesterday using ground pork and a few slivers of salt pork for added flavour. They are excellent! The dough is so easy to work with and fry up beautifully. I have always made our traditional drilled mashed potatoes with cottage cheese but now have another platter to add to our family feasts. Thank you for that.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Judy!
Maybe you could save me some experimentation. I’d like to make a large number of these for a church function. Would I be better off frying from frozen or frying , freezing, and reheating?
Hi Serge, I haven’t tried freezing these but I think it would be after to freeze after frying and letting them cool down.
Why would you use a tablespoon of yeast?
Hi Sean, that is correct and results in really puffy piroshki.
Hi Natasha! We look forward to making these for Russian Christmas today, but I see a discrepancy in the dough ingredients – you list 4 c. flour, but for the breadmaker instructions, you list 2 c. flour. I am guessing it should be more than 2 for the machine, but not sure if 4 c. would fit a standard machine, or if there should be an adjustment for the oil & water too. Thank you!
Hi Ruth, I listed 2 cups of flour twice since I was adding them in a specific order. It is still 4 cups total: “add the ingredients in the following order: Oil, water, 2 cups flour, salt, 2 cups + 2 Tbsp flour*, yeast.”