Пирог с Мясом — Russian Meat Pie

A substantial yeasted pie filled with slow-cooked ground beef, onions, and rice, brushed with egg wash
and baked until deeply golden. Russian мясной пирог is party food, road food, and Sunday-lunch food —
cut into thick slabs and eaten warm or at room temperature with a bowl of broth on the side.

FASTING LEVEL: Non-Fasting (beef, butter, eggs, milk in dough)

SERVINGS: 8-10
TIME: 3 hours

INGREDIENTS:
For the dough:
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 200 ml warm milk
- 100 g unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 7 g instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt

For the filling:
- 700 g ground beef (or mixed beef and pork)
- 100 g long-grain rice
- 2 large onions, diced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (optional)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram

For finishing:
- 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon milk (egg wash)

METHOD:
1. Make the dough: combine warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Let stand 10 minutes until foamy. Add eggs, melted butter, salt, and flour. Knead 10 minutes until smooth. Cover and rise in a warm place 60 minutes until doubled.
2. Meanwhile, make the filling: cook rice in plenty of salted water for 8 minutes (half-cooked). Drain.
3. Melt butter in a large skillet. Sauté onions 7 minutes until softened.
4. Add ground beef, breaking it up. Cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Season generously with salt, pepper, marjoram, and garlic.
5. Combine beef mixture, par-cooked rice, and dill. Let cool completely. Stir in chopped hard-boiled eggs if using.
6. Punch down the dough and divide into two pieces: 60% for the bottom, 40% for the top. Roll the larger piece into a rectangle and fit into a 23×33 cm baking sheet, with dough coming up the sides.
7. Spread filling evenly in the dough-lined pan.
8. Roll the top piece into a rectangle to fit. Place over the filling. Crimp and seal the edges well. Cut three slashes in the top for steam.
9. Let rest 20 minutes. Brush generously with egg wash.
10. Bake at 190C (375F) for 40-50 minutes until deeply golden.
11. Rest 15 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTES:
- Slices of meat pie are the traditional Russian lunchbox, road meal, and picnic food. They keep for 2-3 days well-wrapped.
- Par-cooking the rice is critical. Raw rice will not fully cook during baking and will make the filling gritty.
- For a richer version, stir 2 tablespoons of chilled butter cubes into the cooled filling — they melt during baking and moisten everything.
- Reheat leftover slices in a dry skillet or 180C oven for 10 minutes — do not microwave, which toughens the crust.

NUTRITION (per slice, approximate):
Calories: 480 | Protein: 24 g | Carbohydrates: 46 g | Fat: 22 g | Fibre: 2 g