Ingredients

Scale

For the dough:

1 cup milk
4 oz. sourdough starter (directly from the fridge, or discard sourdough starter is fine)
2 Tablespoons water
2 large eggs
3 cups bread flour (+ 1/2 cup or so)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted butter

For the filling:

1 lb. very lean ground meat (beef, elk, venison)
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped fine
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped fine
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried dill (or 1 Tablespoon fresh snipped dill)
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
Fresh-ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

In the bowl for your stand mixer, stir together the dough ingredients, then using the dough hook, knead on the 2 setting for about 5 minutes, adding flour bits at a time as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the bowl. Pick up the dough from the bowl, pour a Tablespoon or so of olive oil in, then swirl the dough around to coat it in oil. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 – 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
While the dough is rising, make the filling. In a large frying pan, brown the meat with the onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt & dill and stir in the chopped eggs. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.
When the dough is ready, divide it into 12 parts. Use your hands to make each one into a disc shape, then roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick (covering the rest of the dough with a clean towel or plastic wrap while working. If the dough springs back, let it rest a few minutes, then try rolling it out again.
Pour 1/4 – 1/2 cup of the warm meaty filling into the center of the dough. Add water to a small bowl or cup and set next to your rolling area. Dip your fingers in the water and wet the edges of the dough all around. Pinch to seal. Set on a baking sheet lined with silicon baking mat, seal side down and cover with a clean towel while repeating the process until all the piroshki are filled and shaped.
Preheat the air fryer to 320 – 330 F. Spray or brush the piroshki with oil on both sides, then air fry for 10 – 18 minutes or until the piroshki are nicely browned on both sides. Let cool slightly before digging in.

Notes

Cook a single layer of piroshki at a time, leaving space in between them for the air to flow. Our air fryer held 3 piroshki at a time, so we had to do them in batches. While the first three were in the air fryer, we shaped the next three. We found that some of our piroshki cooked in 10 minutes while others took up to 18 minutes. The first couple batches we did at 320 and the later batches at 330 … the ones we did later went WAY faster. Also, some of our piroshki were definitely bigger than others! And keep in mind, air fryers can vary greatly in cooking times, so keep watch and figure out what timing works best for you and your air fryer.

Piroshki freeze well, so they’re great for meal prepping for days when you need a quick easy meal. Simply give them a little spray of oil and air fry them again to warm them up.