These cabbage belyashi are so fluffy and soft! Belyashi are stuffed fried yeast buns and these are filled with cabbage.
My mom uses this dough to make both belyashi (stuffed fried buns) and ponchiki which are sweet fried Russian doughnuts. This dough easily transitions between the both. Belyashi can be stuffed with meat or braised cabbage. This dough comes together easily and rises fairly quick. It is a bit tacky to work with but the end results come out fluffy and light. My mom uses water to keep the dough off her hands and work surface but feel free to use flour instead. I recommend water as I think the end results turn out more light and fluffier this way.
What’s the Difference between Belyashi and Piroshki?
Asked by my Ukrainian mother herself, I was told Belyashi are rounder in shape and typically filled with an uncooked meat filling like chebureki. Piroshki are more oval and typically made with a cooked meat filling. The two are very similar and it’s really a matter of how you grew up calling these stuffed buns.
What’s Ponchiki?
Ponchiki are sweet Russian Doughnuts. Since these Belyashi are so fluffy it works for both belyashi and ponchiki.
How to make Ponchiki from Belyashi Dough:
To make ponchiki, form into smaller sized balls and fill with a sweet filling, like jam. When making ponchiki, scoop dough out by the tablespoon and fill the center with any sweet filling. Gather sides and bring to top to form a ball. Fry.
Ingredients for belyashi:
- 4 cups warm water
- 2 tbsp yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- 7 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup oil (for frying)
How to make fried belyashi:
1. Stir all ingredients (except oil) together to form a tacky dough. Cover and allow to rise for about 1 hour.
2. Scoop out dough into 1/4 cup balls onto a lightly watered (or floured) surface.
Tip: Dip hands and measuring cup when handling this dough it really helps the dough from sticking, so just keep a bowl of water near you.
3. Spoon a tablespoon of filling into the center. With wet hands gather the sides and bring up to the top.
4. Lightly pat down and fry in hot oil a few minutes on each side until cooked through and golden brown.
Cabbage Belyashi
Ingredients
Belyashi Dough:
- 4 cups warm water
- 2 tbsp yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg beaten
- 4 tbsp butter melted
- 7 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup oil for frying
Instructions
How to make fried Belyashi:
- Stir all ingredients (except oil) together to form a tacky dough. Cover and allow to rise for about 1 hour.
- Scoop out dough into 1/4 cup balls onto a lightly watered (or floured) surface.
- Spoon a tablespoon of filling into the center. With wet hands gather the sides and bring up to the top.
- Lightly pat down and fry in hot oil a few minutes on each side until cooked through and golden brown.
Notes
