Belyashi

These delicious and hearty pastries are known and loved by many. There are many recipes available, but I offer my version which results in very tasty belyashi. The dough is suitable for any other savory baked goods as well. The name of this incredibly tasty meat pastry originated from the Tatar and Bashkir cuisines, where a large baked pie made from unleavened dough with minced meat and other fillings is called "belyash." The closest relative to belyashi is the Tatar "peremyach," which is made with a hole on top. Belyashi can be made in open or closed form, but I prefer the latter.

For the dough:

Flour

3-3 1/4 cups

Milk

1 cup

Yeast

1 oz (fresh)

Eggs

2 pcs

Margarine

1/2 cup

Sugar

2 tbsp

Salt

1 tsp

Vegetable Oil

for frying

For the filling:

Ground Meat

2 1/4 lbs (pork-beef)

Onion

2-3 pcs

Cream

1/2 cup (milk or water)

Black Pepper

to taste

Salt

to taste

To prepare Belyashi, first dissolve the yeast in warm milk and let it sit for a while. Then add salt, sugar, and mix well.

Pour in lightly beaten eggs and melted (not hot) margarine. Stir in sifted flour and mix well.

Knead the resulting dough well on the table by hand until it is soft and uniform.

Place the dough in a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a lid, and let it rest in a warm place for about 1 hour to rise.

Punch down the dough and let it rise again for 1 hour.

Prepare the filling for belyashi. Add finely chopped onions to the ground meat (you can use a blender or meat grinder). Add salt, pepper, and cream (milk or water). Mix the filling thoroughly.

The filling should have a strong flavor, with enough salt and spices, as it plays the main role. Garlic, herbs, and additional spices can also be added to the filling according to your taste.

After the dough has risen for the second time, divide it into balls of equal size (about 1.5-1.8 oz each).

Flatten each ball into a circle, place the filling in the middle, and seal the edges together like a dumpling.

Then pinch the sealed edges together in the center, slightly flatten the resulting ball.

Place the belyashi in a well-heated skillet with oil, seams down, allowing them to lay flat. Fry the belyashi until they are golden brown on both sides. No need to skimp on oil; well-heated oil ensures that the belyashi are quickly fried without soaking up too much oil.

I made closed belyashi, but they can also be made open-faced. For open-faced belyashi, take the assembled closed belyash, flip it so the seam is facing down on the tabletop, and use a small knife or scissors to cut it on the smooth side to create an opening of the desired size. Fry these belyashi starting from the open side.