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Karjalan Pies

SUBMITTED BY: Sara A PHOTO BY: Kalyn

"These savory pastries were my favorite thing to eat in Finland. Rice porridge surrounded by a rye flour crust, baked until slightly browned. In Finland, they're often eaten at breakfast or lunch. Delicious topped with ham, cheese, or just (real!) butter."

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Read Reviews (11)

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PREP TIME	50 Min
COOK TIME	15 Min
READY IN	1 Hr 5 Min
Original recipe yield 16 pastries

SERVINGS

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Servings
USMETRIC

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

2 cups water
1 cup uncooked white rice
2 cups milk
salt to taste
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup rye flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed
3 tablespoons butter, melted

What to Drink?
	Pinot Grigio

DIRECTIONS

Combine rice and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Stir in milk, cover, and cook until milk is absorbed by the rice, about 20 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). In a medium bowl, stir together the salt and rye flour. Stir in water. Mix in all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon at a time until dough is just past the sticky stage. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough out into a thin circle 6 inches in diameter. The dough should be as thin as possible. Place about 3 tablespoons of the rice mixture in the center of each circle. Spread the mixture out to within 1 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the dough upward, and crimp the edges so as to allow the pastries to hold their shape. Pinch the sides at each end to form a little boat. Place pastries about 3 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet, and brush the tops with butter.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the dough is firm, and the rice porridge is slightly browned on the top. Serve warm.

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REVIEWS

Reviewed on Jan. 13, 2005 by Ryan

Full Review

The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.60 star rating.

Ryan
Jan. 13, 2005

This recipe is just like the recipe I got from a mummu (old Finnish grandma) who showed me how to make them before I left the country. She of course made them without a recipe, and I roughly tried to copy it down into a recipe, and it came out pretty much like this. FYI, there are two types of rye flour: course (or regular) rye flour and fine rye flour. Use the course flour for this since you'll be mixing wheat flour in with it. Also, you'll end up putting about the same amount of wheat flour in as rye flour, so you don't have to do it one tablespoon at a time, you can almost double it at first and then add slowly until the texture is right. You can also add egg white to the butter to brush on top, and you can also brush them again while they're oven if you want them super golden brown and soft, but it's hardly necessary. For the rice, try to use sushi or short grain rice, but if you can't find it, I think Thai Jasmine rice is the next best. Also, these are best with whole milk and real butter. Finns usually serve these by spreading butter on top, followed by some type of cheese (usually Edam). It's very common to eat them with ham, and you can really put on whatever you want (tomato, lettuce, etc.). A lot of work, but worth it!

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14 users found this review helpful

This recipe is just like the recipe I got from a mummu (old Finnish grandma) who showed me how... MORE

Reviewed on May 5, 2008 by hooked on recipes

Full Review

The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 4.60 star rating.

hooked on recipes
May 5, 2008

Good recipe, and this review comes from a Finnish girl whose Grandma and Great-Grandma used to make these by the hundreds every morning to be sold at local farmer's markets. I think the eggbutter which Karjalan Pies (Karjalan Piirakka) are traditionally served with should be part of this recipe: 3-4 hardboiled eggs, peeled and chopped (use egg slicer...slice one way and turn the egg, and slice another way), combined with easily spreadable butter ("I can't believe it's butter light" works great), and some salt to taste. Gently mix together and spread on top of the warm pies for a more authentic taste. Also, don't worry too much about the shape when rolling the uncooked dough...kind of an oval/circle will do just fine. Run your hand (with a little flour in it) over the rolling pin after rolling out each pie (on floured surface), this will keep it from sticking. The thinner you roll the dough, the crispier the pies (substituting some regular bread flour will make the pies softer). Pasta machine makes the rolling part faster if you are making a large batch, 50 or so. Typical Finns make these pies much larger in size than this recipe says, this amount would only make about 7-8 pies. I always use Calrose rice and wait until it's still easy to stir, but all the runny fluids are absorbed. Thanks, Sara!

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10 users found this review helpful

Good recipe, and this review comes from a Finnish girl whose Grandma and Great-Grandma used to... MORE

Reviewed on Dec. 12, 2006 by kuratenko

Time consuming but fun to make the boat shape. The dough can be sticky so dusting is important... MORE

Reviewed on Nov. 13, 2005 by spikesmum

I have two Finnish daughters in law and first tasted these delicious pies in Levi in Northern... MORE

Reviewed on Jun. 19, 2005 by NADAS6

Of course the Finns will probably flip when they read this, but I didn't have any rye flour,... MORE

Reviewed on Jan. 1, 2005 by ALICIA549

Exactly like I remember them from Finland. I have been looking for this recipe sine my one and... MORE

Reviewed on May 1, 2008 by Nurynski

This dish is very creative and delicious. I prepared them today and are very crispy. Next time... MORE

Reviewed on Jul. 12, 2007 by SISSI808

I really liked these! MORE

Reviewed on Apr. 9, 2007 by Robs

Mine weren't pretty, and due to the grocery store being out of rye flour and me being... MORE

Reviewed on Oct. 18, 2006 by aimeelm

I was introduced to these by a co-worker who's wife made them. I liked them so much I searched... MORE

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Nutritional Information

Karjalan Pies

Servings Per Recipe: 16

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 106

Total Fat: 3g
Cholesterol: 8mg
Sodium: 185mg
Total Carbs: 17.1g
Dietary Fiber: 1.1g
Protein: 2.7g

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Karjalan Pies

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DIRECTIONS

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