Latvian Pīrāgi Recipe
Pīrāgi are a small bun stuffed with various fillings from Latvia. The most traditional pīrāgi is filled with bacon and fried onions, and ingredients in the dough include milk, sugar, butter and flour.
The formed dough is rolled out then using a cutter, made into small circles. Each circle is filled on one side then the empty side is folded over the filling to create a crescent shape. They are then pinched shut, baked and eaten as a snack
This dish goes by several names, some used to differentiate the fillings and others used interchangeably. Pīrāgi means pie in Latvian. The bacon filled variation is called speķa pīrāgi. Speķa means ham or bacon. Pīrāgi are also called pīrādziņi and Speķa Pīrāgi is also known as Speķrauši.
Some other fillings for pīrāgi are ground meat, mushrooms, cheese with raisins, sauerkraut or cabbage and onions. There are two kinds of pīrāgi dough. One is a buttery; flaky dough and the other is a yeasty bread like dough.
Origin & Significance
Pīrāgi originates from Latvia. They are eaten year-round but are always prepared for Jani – the celebration of the summer solstice where Latvians partake in many activities to keep this holiday tradition alive. One of these is making batches of pīrāgi with family and friends.
Latvian Pīrāgi Recipe
Pīrāgi are a small bun stuffed with various fillings from Latvia. The most traditional pīrāgi is filled with bacon and fried onions, and ingredients in the dough include milk, sugar, butter and flour.
Ingredients
For the dough
- Whole milk - 500 ml
- Cream - 125 ml
- Sugar - 100g
- Dry yeast - 4 tsp
- Butter (cubed) - 125 g
- Sour cream - 125g
- Egg (lightly whisked) - 1
- White flour - 1 kg
- Salt - 1 tbsp
For the filling
- Thick bacon - 500g
- Onion (small) - 1
- Salt and pepper - to taste
- Egg - 1
Instructions
- Pour the milk and cream in a saucepan and add the sugar.
- Heat the mixture until it becomes lukewarm. Do not let the milk simmer or boil.
- In a large bowl, pour the milk mixture and add cubed butter, sour cream and the whisked egg, combine well.
- Add the yeast, sifted flour, salt and mix until all is combined well to create the dough.
- Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and does not stick to the hands or the bowl (add a bit more flour if necessary).
- Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and place in a warm spot for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours). To speed up the process, place the bowl in a sink filled with hot water.
- Finely cut the bacon and the onion, add a teaspoon of finely ground pepper and combine well.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl and set aside.
- Sprinkle some flour on the rolling surface and place the dough on it.
- Cut it in quarters and work on each quarter at a time by rolling it until the dough is 5 mm thick.
- Cut out circles about 6 cm in diameter (use a mug) from the rolled dough.
- Place one heaped teaspoon of filling on one side of the circle and fold over.
- Tightly press the dough together using your fingers, place pīrāgi seam side down and bend in a shape of a half-moon .
- Transfer pies on to the baking tray, spaced about 2 cm apart.
- Using a pastry brush, brush each pie with the egg wash.
- Place the tray in the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 45 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 189Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 377mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 7g
Nutrition is provided and calculated by Nutritionix. It is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimation.
Photo Credit: Sara McCleary
Photo Credit: Elaine Ashton
