Stuffed Buns with Chicken (Пирожки с курятиной)

Step 1

DOUGH PREPARATION

Step 2

Preferment. Heat 1 cup of water to the temperature recommended for dry yeast activation on the packet (usually 110-120° F), and stir in the yeast. Let the yeast dissolve and then gradually mix in sifted flour until the dough becomes thick paste hard to stir by hand. Stir from the center avoiding scraping the sides of the mixing bowl too often. Cover and let rise at room temperature for about 4 - 5 hours. The preferment should more than double in size by the end of the fermentation period and should become much softer.

Step 3

Heat 2 cups of milk to the boiling point. Let stand to cool to about 100° F. While the milk is cooling

Step 4

Thoroughly mix egg yolks and sugar. Add melted butter and mix everything very well. Stir in salt.

Step 5

Push down your preferment and transfer it to a larger bowl if necessary.

Step 6

Mix in the milk. Add the egg yolk/sugar/butter/salt mix and stir until everything is mixed well.

Step 7

Gradually add sifted flour. First stir (from the center) and then knead when the dough becomes too thick to stir.

Step 8

Knead in enough flour so that the dough stops sticking to the hands (even though it should still feel a little sticky), form a ball and place it in a lightly greased container. Cover and leave to rise at room temperature. Meanwhile work on making the filling.

Step 9

When the dough at least doubles or even better, triples in size, push it down gently trying not to flatten completely, then scoop it out, flip the dough ball over, and cover it again. When the dough rises, repeat the process. The dough should rise three times total. If your oven has a proofing mode, you can use that for the second and third rising.

Step 10

FILLING PREPARATION

Step 11

Add chicken, carrots, and 1 onion (may cut it in half for a better fit) to a pot, add just enough water to cover (you won’t be using most of the broth), cover, and boil for about 1 ½ hours. Do not add salt. The salt level of the filling will be adjusted at the end.

Step 12

Hard boil the eggs and let them cool.

Step 13

When the chicken is ready, remove it and the carrots from the pot and let them cool. Discard the onion. Strain and save the broth.

Step 14

Separate chicken meat from bones. Discard the bones and chicken skins.

Step 15

Mince the chicken meat. Chop cooked carrots, fresh onion (this is the second onion) and hard boiled eggs. Keep all the ingredients separate.

Step 16

Add oil to a large deep skillet and heat it.

Step 17

Sauté the chopped onion until it is light brown in color.

Step 18

Add chopped carrots to the skillet with onions and sauté for 2 more minutes.

Step 19

Add minced chicken and sauté until everything is thoroughly mixed and heated through. Transfer the filling to a mixing bowl.

Step 20

Dissolve 2 teaspoons of salt in ½ cup of chicken broth.

Step 21

Gradually add the salted broth to the mix stirring it in thoroughly and tasting until achieving the desired salt level. You may not need the entire amount. Discard the unused portion. The filling should be somewhat salty to create contrast with the slightly sweet dough. If the mix feels very dry (although it should not be at this point), add a small amount of unsalted chicken broth. Do not make it too moist or it’ll leak from the rolls during baking!

Step 22

Gently mix in chopped hard boiled eggs. The filling is now ready but the dough may not be. Keep the filling in the fridge until you are ready to use it to prevent spoilage.

Step 23

BUNS ASSEMBLY

Step 24

Prepare a baking sheet or shallow baking pan. If it doesn't have a good non-stick surface already, grease it with butter or cover it with baking parchment paper or non-stick foil.

Step 25

Dust work surface with flour.

Step 26

Gently punch down the dough after the third rise but don’t flatten it completely. It will be a bit sticky at this point but quite workable on a surface dusted with flour.

Step 27

Cut off a piece of dough about 3 inches in diameter and flatten it into an oval shape first by hand and then with a rolling pin. The thickness should be about ½ inch.

Step 28

Grease the flattened dough with melted butter. Don't grease the edges, otherwise it won't seal!

Step 29

Put a generous amount of filling in the center of the flattened dough piece keeping in mind that when you fold the dough around the filling the edges should meet without stretching and thinning the sides of the roll too much. See photos.

Step 30

Moisten the edges with water and pinch them together so they stick together and seal. Fold the edge over like a toothpaste tube and pinch together again. Flatten the seam.

Step 31

Dust your hands with flour, and give the bun an elongated shape with tapered ends distributing the filling inside evenly (see photos).

Step 32

Put the bun seam down on the baking sheet and repeat the above steps to put together all the buns. You can make them in batches because the buns you made at the beginning may be ready for baking while you are still working on the last ones.

Step 33

Let the buns stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes before baking. The should become visibly larger because the dough will continue to rise.

Step 34

Turn on the oven and set it to 375F. It will be preheated by the time your first bunch of buns is ready for baking after standing for 20 minutes in the step above.

Step 35

BAKING THE BUNS

Step 36

OPTIONAL: If you've stuffed your buns with lots of filling, you filling came out too wet, or you are just worried about the seams bursting open during baking, punch a few neat holes at the top of each bun right before putting them in the oven. That will help the steam escape.

Step 37

Put the buns in the oven (remember: not right away but after letting them stand so they can rise).

Step 38

Gently beat the remaining egg yolk and prepare a silicone brush for glazing. Watch the buns in the oven through the window in the oven door without opening it.

Step 39

When the buns in the oven start turning light gold and forming a crust, briefly pull them out (watch out for steam when you open the door) and quickly brush on the beaten egg yolk. If you find this too much of a hassle, you can brush on the egg yolk right before putting the buns in the oven at the beginning but the glaze may darken in the oven too soon before the entire bun is baked through.

Step 40

Continue baking until you see dark golden color.

Step 41

Remove the buns from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. This is a very important step because the filling inside is still making lots of hot steam that without good air circulation will make the crust mushy, especially at the bottom of the bun. Therefore do not leave the buns on the baking sheet or place them on a hard impermeable surface such as a plate or kitchen counter during cooling.

Step 42

Cover the buns with a towel and let them stand for no less than 15 minutes before they are ready to be served.

Step 43

Serve the buns as a separate dish or with soup.