Finnish pierogi

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• ml water, cold
• 200 g rye flour
• 100 g wheat flour, alternatively whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp, heaped salt
• 250 g rice pudding
• 1 liter of milk, and possibly some water
• Salt
• 1 egg(s)
• Milk
• butter

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

traditional everyday pastries from Karelia

Make a firm, rubbery dough from flour, water, and salt. It should feel like pasta dough, be elastic, and no longer sticky. Bring the milk to a boil and cook the rice pudding with a little salt until soft. If the rice pudding becomes too firm, thin it with a little water. Once cooled, stir in the egg to form a creamy porridge. Form the dough into about 20 balls, which you then roll out with a rolling pin and a little flour into oval to round, wafer-thin flatbreads. I usually use my pasta machine to roll out the dough, as I often make three times the amount. Using the pasta machine, the flatbreads are nice and even and thin. Place a spoonful of porridge on each piece of dough and spread it out, leaving a border of about 1.5 cm. Fold this border towards the middle and pinch the edges so that the pierogi looks like a gym shoe. The pierogi are baked at a high temperature of 250-300°C (482-572°F) for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Melt a little butter with milk or water in a saucepan and dip the still-hot pierogi into this mixture immediately after baking. Then place them in a baking dish lined with wax paper to moisten the “hard” pierogi. Cover with a cloth until ready to serve. They are ideal for freezing and can also be easily heated in a toaster oven. One more tip: These pierogi are relatively tasteless; some even say bland. However, served lukewarm with savory cold cuts, or traditionally spread with egg and butter, this bread substitute is a delight. You can also eat the pierogi with a sweet spread. Egg and butter: Blend 3-4 hard-boiled eggs with about 200g (0.7 lb) butter and a little salt until spreadable.