Polish Savoury Pastries (Paszteciki)
paszteciki Say it: pash-teh-CHEE-kee
Paszteciki are small Polish savoury pastries: soft yeast dough wrapped around a moist, peppery filling of minced cooked meat, onion and mushrooms. They are a fixture of family gatherings, Sunday lunches and holiday tables, and in Szczecin they turn up in bakeries and milk bars alongside a bowl of clear beetroot barszcz. The crust bakes up tender and a little buttery, the filling stays juicy, and each one is gone in two bites — which is exactly why they are always made in batches.
Polish Savoury Pastries (Paszteciki)
paszteciki
Pronounced pash-teh-CHEE-kee
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 hr 25 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the dough
For the meat filling
To finish
Method
Warm the milk until lukewarm (about 110°F / 45°C), stir in the yeast and sugar, and leave for 10 minutes until a foamy cap forms on the surface.
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl, pour in the yeast mixture, then add the egg and melted butter. Knead on a floured surface for 8–10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic and only slightly tacky. Cover and leave in a warm spot for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.
For the filling, melt the butter in a wide pan and cook the onion over medium heat for 6–8 minutes, until soft and pale golden. Add the mushrooms and cook until their liquid has evaporated and the edges begin to brown.
Stir in the chopped meat and the stock and simmer for 5–8 minutes, until almost all the liquid is gone. Stir in the breadcrumbs, season with the salt and pepper, then spread the filling on a plate to cool completely.
Punch down the dough and roll it out on a floured surface into a rectangle about 12 x 16 inches (30 x 40 cm) and ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
Spread the cooled filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch (2.5 cm) border, then roll it up tightly from the long side like a Swiss roll. Cut the roll into 1½-inch (4 cm) pieces and set them cut-side up on parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving space between them.
Cover loosely and let the pastries rise for 20–30 minutes, until puffy. Meanwhile heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and brush the tops with the beaten egg.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, until deep golden and crisp at the edges and the exposed filling is bubbling. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes and serve warm.
Regional variant: Christmas Eve Sauerkraut and Mushroom Pastries (Paszteciki z Kapustą i Grzybami)
For the meatless Wigilia version, replace the meat with 1 lb (450 g) sauerkraut, rinsed and chopped, and add 1 oz (30 g) dried porcini soaked in 1 cup (240 ml) hot water. Cook the onion, then the drained porcini, then the sauerkraut in the butter for 15 minutes, adding the strained mushroom liquid instead of stock; season with pepper and a pinch of sugar, and bind with the breadcrumbs. Cool, fill and bake exactly as above.
Cook's notes
- Let the filling cool completely before rolling — a warm filling steams the dough and makes the pastries soggy.
- Chop leftover roast or rosół meat very fine by hand or pulse it briefly in a food processor; a coarse grind tears through the dough.
- Plan about 2½ hours from start to table: 1 hour for the dough to rise and another 20–30 minutes for the shaped pastries.
Serve with
Hot clear beetroot barszcz (barszcz czerwony) for dipping, or a spoonful of grated horseradish (chrzan) on the side.
Make ahead and storage
Bake up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate; reheat at 350°F (175°C) for 8–10 minutes. Unbaked filled pastries freeze well for up to 1 month — thaw, let them rise, then glaze and bake.
