Pirukad are the small savory pastries that turn up everywhere in Estonia: at cafés, on the cold table at birthdays, at school fairs and in paper bags handed around at anything held outdoors. They can be filled with meat, fish, cabbage, carrot or cheese, but the meat ones, lihapirukad, are the ones that vanish first. The dough is a soft, slightly sweet milk and butter yeast dough; the filling is seasoned beef and onion; and the tradition is to eat them with a cup of clear hot broth, dipping as you go.

They are ideal stand up food for a long day watching anything with an engine. Bake them in the morning, wrap them in a towel, and they are still good at the end of the afternoon, which is more than can be said for most spectators.

The dough

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
• 5 tablespoons (70 g) butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons / 7 g) instant yeast
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 1/4 cups (400 g) all purpose flour

Method

1. Warm the milk and butter in the small saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. Take off the heat and let it cool until it feels just warm on your wrist, about 105°F (40°C).
2. Put the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the large bowl and stir. Add the warm milk mixture and the beaten egg and mix with a spoon, then your hand, into a soft dough.
3. Knead in the bowl or on a lightly floured counter for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth. Return to the bowl, cover with the towel and leave somewhere warm for 1 hour.

The meat filling

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) sunflower oil
• 1 large onion
• 1 lb (450 g) ground beef
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) beef broth or water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley or dill

Method

1. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat and cook the onion for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring now and then.
2. Add the meat, turn the heat to medium high and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking it into fine crumbs with the spoon. Add the broth, salt, pepper and marjoram and cook 2 minutes more.
3. Take off the heat, stir in the chopped eggs and herbs, taste for salt, and spread on a plate to cool completely.

Shaping and baking

Ingredients

• 1 large egg

Method

1. Punch the risen dough down and cut it in half. On a floured counter, roll one half to about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick and cut out circles with the cutter.
2. Put a heaped tablespoon of filling on one half of each circle. Brush the edge with a little egg glaze, fold the dough over into a half moon and press the edges firmly together with your fingers, then crimp them by pinching and folding small pleats along the edge.
3. Set them seam side up or flat on the lined baking sheets, 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Cover with the towel and leave for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
4. Brush each pasty with egg glaze and bake one sheet at a time on the middle shelf for 15 to 18 minutes.
5. Move to the wire rack. While still warm, you can brush them with a little melted butter and cover with the towel to keep the crust soft.

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