Karjalanpiirakka – Karelian Pies with Millet

Karjalanpiirakka – Karelian Pies with Millet are delicious rustic pies with a simple rye crust and rich sweet and savory millet filling.

This post was originally posted in March 2016. I have uploaded the new photos and updated text and recipe.

Hello, folks – how are you doing?

Today I am excited to share with you something you are unlikely familiar with – unless you live in Finland, Sweden, or some Northern parts of Russia.

Have you ever heard this name – Karjalanpiirakka? Or this – Kalittoa? Or the easiest one – Karelian Pastry (Karelian Pies)? There is the number of names for this kind of pastry – just google it!

Where is Karelia?

I was born and in the Northern part of Russia, the region called Karelia which borders Finland. Well, it was not always the part of Russia. Since the Middle Ages, the territory was of historical significance for Russia, Sweden, and Finland resulted in a series of armed conflicts between Sweden and Russia. I am not going to give you a lecture on this complex history, but in a nutshell, for years and even centuries, parts of the territory belonged to Sweden (for a long time, Finland was a part of Sweden, too.) As the result of the Winter War (a part of Second World War), when the Soviet Union attacked Finland, a huge portions of Finnish Karelia, and other territories (like town of Vyborg) were handed to Russia.

The parts of former Karelia stayed with Finland, i.e., the Region of South Karelia, too.

All right, enough of etymology – let’s talk about these pastries!

Karjalanpiirakka – Karelian Pies with Millet

Basically, kalitt or kalittoa (Karelian language) is the most prominent authentic food of Karelia. They are the intrinsic part of Finnish cuisine (Karjalanpiirakkawhere – Finnish name) where they are often called simply Karelian Pie. Also, this or similar type of pastry are popular in Sweden, Estonia, and some other parts of Russia.

Interesting fact: Karelian pasties have had traditional specialty guaranteed (TSG) status in Europe since 2003.

Pastry and Fillings

The oldest traditional pasties usually had a rye crust, but the Northern Karelian and Ladoga Karelian variants also contained wheat to improve the quality of the crust.

Originally, the traditional fillings were barley and talkkuna (or tolokno). In the 19th century, potato and buckwheat were introduced. The latest ingredients were cooked rice and millet. In my childhood, Karelian pies with cottage cheese were common, but I am not sure whether it is an authentic ingredient.

I believe the most common variations today are pies with mashed potatoes and millet, and I love both kinds. But in my humble opinion, you cannot really beat a good Karjalanpiirakka – Karelian Pies with Potatoes.

I hope you like this recipe, and you will give it a try. If you make it, please let me know in the comment section below or send me an Instagram message or share your photos by adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.

Cheers!

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Karjalanpiirakka – Karelian Pies with Millet

Recipe by Ben | Havocinthekitchen

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Savoury BakesCuisine: Finnish, Karelian

Servings

18-22

servings

Prep time

45

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Karjalanpiirakka – Karelian Pies with Millet are delicious rustic pies with a simple rye crust and rich sweet and savory millet filling.

Cook Mode

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Ingredients

• Dough:

• about 4 cups (about 500 gr.) rye flour + more, for kneading and dusting

• 3/4 cup (180 gr.) sour cream

• 2/3 cup (166 ml.) milk or kefir

• a pinch of salt
  

• Millet:

• 2 1/2 cups (365 ml.) water

• 1/4 cup (60 ml.) concentrated milk, regular milk or light cream

• 1 1/4 cups (205 gr.) uncooked millet, rinsed

• 1-3 tbsp. (20-60 gr.) sweetened condensed milk, to taste – or substitute 1-2 tbsp. sugar

• a good pinch of salt

• 1-2 tbsp. (15-30 gr.) butter

• 2 tbsp. (30 gr.) sour cream

• Assembling:

• 2-3 tbsp. (30-45 gr.) sour cream

• 3-4 tbsp. (45-60 gr.) butter, melted

Directions

• Millet Filling:
• Bring a pot with water and concentrated (or regular) milk to a boil, add the rinsed millet and salt, and decrease heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, stirring often, for about 12-15 minutes. If the liquid evaporates too fast, decrease it even further. Also, you may need add a bit more water or milk.
• Add the condensed milk to taste. Let it cook uncovered for another 5 minutes or so, until the liquid has been mostly absorbed.
• Off heat. Add the butter and sour cream, mix, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Try and add more salt or sugar, if desired.
• Dough:
• In a large bowl mix together the milk (or kefir), sour cream, and salt. Gradually add the flour, starting with 3 cups (360 gr. – you can add them at once). Use a spatula to mix the dough. Then gradually add the remaining flour, but you may need all 4 cups. There is one secret – there are no exact proportions, so you may need to add some more flour or liquid (milk or kefir or even water). Don’t feel intimidated, though – you will be able to feel if you need to add less or more flour. Don’t be tempted to add more than 4 cups of the flour – you will still dust more when kneading. At this stage, the dough will look sticky, heavy, not elastic, and somewhat clay-like.
• Transfer the dough on the surface dusted with extra flour. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, lightly dusting with more flour when needed. Generally, rye dough is not too easy to handle, unlike the wheat one, as it tends to be clinging to your hands and the working surface. After kneading it will be easier to work, yet it will remain heavy and not too elastic.
• Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C)
• Shaping Karelian Pies and Baking:
• Shape the dough into a log and cut it into 18-24 pieces.
• Using a rolling pin, roll each piece into a round-shape crust (size of a medium plate).
• Spread about 2 tablespoons or more (depending on the size of rolled out dough) of the millet filling on dough leaving the sides empty.
• Shape the pies by pinching the edges – you should make 10-14 pinches on each pie.
• Arrange the pies on a baking tray lined with parchment. Brush the top of the filling with the sour cream.
• Bake the pies for 18-20 minutes, until the crust (especially edges) is crispy and lightly brown-golden
• Remove from oven. While still hot, generously brush the crust and filling with the melted butter, paying special attention to the crust (it will soften them a bit.)
• It’s always better serve them immediately. Otherwise, you can cover them with a clean kitchen towel and leave for a while – they will remain fresh and soft (but chewy).
• Overall, these pies remain fresh for a few days if placed in a container and refrigerated; however, they are best consumed within a day or two. You can always preheat them in a microwave for about 40 seconds. Enjoy!