Perepichka

Perepichka (Ukrainian Sausage Pies)

Perepichka are popular Ukrainian street-food pastries: small, yeasted hand pies wrapped around a smoked sausage filling, fried until crisp and golden. They are a favourite snack at markets and train stations across Ukraine.

Prep

30 min

Cook

20 min

Total

50 min

Serves

8

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •300 g (10½ oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• •7 g (2¼ tsp) instant dried yeast, one sachet
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine salt
• •10 g (2 tsp) caster sugar
• •180 ml (¾ cup) warm milk, around 38°C / 100°F
• •40 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for brushing
• •1 large egg, beaten
• •400 g (14 oz) smoked sausage, Polish kielbasa or Ukrainian varena-style sausage, fully cooked; cut into 8 short batons about 8 cm long
• •1 medium onion, finely chopped
• •15 g (1 tbsp) dill, fresh, finely chopped
• •2 g (½ tsp) ground black pepper
• •500 ml (2 cups) sunflower oil, for frying; sunflower oil is traditional - substitute with a neutral vegetable oil if unavailable

Steps

1. 1 Make the dough: in a large bowl whisk the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Pour in the warm milk, melted butter and beaten egg and mix to a soft, slightly sticky dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for 45–60 minutes until roughly doubled in size.
2. 2 Prepare the filling: in a small pan sauté the chopped onion in a teaspoon of the butter over medium heat for 4–5 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the dill and black pepper, then remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Pat the sausage batons dry with kitchen paper.
3. 3 Shape the perepichka: turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 8 equal pieces (about 65 g each). Roll each piece into a thin oval roughly 12 × 10 cm. Place a sausage baton in the centre, spoon a little of the sautéed onion alongside it, then fold the long sides over the sausage and roll up, tucking the ends underneath to seal so the filling is fully enclosed. Press the seams firmly to seal.
4. 4 Rest the shaped pies: place seam-side down on a floured tray, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 15 minutes while you heat the oil.
5. 5 Heat the oil to 170–175°C / 340–350°F in a deep, heavy pan (about 2.5 cm / 1 inch depth). Fry the pies in batches of 2–3, seam-side down first, for about 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden brown and crisp all over. Maintain the oil temperature between batches - if it drops below 160°C / 320°F the dough will absorb oil and turn greasy.
6. 6 Drain on a wire rack or plenty of paper towel and brush lightly with melted butter. Serve hot, on its own or with mustard and a little pickle on the side.
7. 7 Doneness cue: the pastry should be an even deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped; the sausage inside should be steaming hot all the way through (internal temperature 70°C / 158°F on a probe inserted into the centre).