The impending birth of my daughter’s first child makes me nostalgic about how holidays and special events were marked by my Latvian mother and father. The first order of business: Bake the pirags!*
My mother, a fine baker, would prepare the rich dough and my father — “Pup,” as he was called by his children and grandchildren — would prep the onions, ham and bacon for rendering. He thoroughly enjoyed the task, mincing with precision. Meanwhile, the dough would attain lofty heights and soon their next tag team effort would commence. (It’s much more fun to do this recipe with help!) The dough was rolled and circles were stamped out to be filled (with a moderate amount lest the baked rolls split open), then they were folded and shaped into lovely little crescents, docked and glazed with an egg wash. Baked and cooled, they would then be placed in the heavy mixing bowl, (Hall’s China Company Autumn Leaves design, which I still possess), and covered with a snowy linen towel. I remember my teen-aged brothers swooping in, grabbing handfuls – the rest of us were only slightly less lust-filled for the pillowy buns.
I loved “pirags” but there was a collateral benefit to the baking session which I greeted with equal or possibly greater enthusiasm: Kuchen. When my mother was young and had energy to spare, this thin sweet bread, baked in a baking sheet or jelly roll pan using part of the rich piragi dough, would be offered up in three flavors: apple, sweet cheese (similar to blintz filling), and damson jam with streusel topping. In later years, the apple-cinnamon version was her default.
Mum and Pup were health conscious, legendary walkers and modest eaters who made a point to enjoy pastry, caviar, Baltic black rye bread, and a bit of schapps not only as occasional indulgences but as a way to tap into their limited well of early happy memories. Those years included World War II, becoming refugees, and eventually emigrating to start a new life in the United States. Thanks to them my own memories are untainted by loss and hardship. As I prepare for the trip to meet my new grandson, I am packing my “pirag” recipe in order to celebrate his arrival properly. I think I’ll bring the cheese and the streusel kuchen recipes, too!
*Pirags is actually the singular form, piragi the plural. My Latvian-American brothers and I have always called and thought of them as ‘pirags.’ My parents tolerated our ignorance for some reason – this makes me a bit weepy right now.
For another story about my family please read Irene’s Alexander Cake.
Irene Sungailis Lubans’ Piragi (“Pirags”)
As told to and adapted by her daughter, Eva Lubans Baughman
Ingredients
For the piragi filling:
- •454 grams (1 pound) lean ham, finely chopped*
- •227 grams (½ pound) lean bacon, finely chopped
- •1 large onion, finely chopped
- •5 ml (1 teaspoon) freshly ground black pepper
- •10 ml (2 teaspoons) sugar
For the piragi dough:
- •473 ml (2 cups) milk
- •25 ml (2 packages/about 5 teaspoons) instant dry yeast
- •113 grams (4 ounces) butter, melted and cooled
- •10 ml (2 teaspoons) salt
- •60 ml (¼ cup) sugar
- •480-600 grams (4-5 cups) all-purpose flour
- •Vegetable oil for baking sheets
For piragi assembly:
- •All-purpose flour, as needed
- •1 egg, beaten well in a small cup or bowl
*Author’s note: My mother always used boiled ham, such as Krakus brand, not smoky baked ham.
Preparation
For the filling: Combine all of the filling ingredients in a large skillet, and sauté on low heat to soften onion and render fat, about 5 minutes; do not brown. Set aside to cool.
For the dough: Because I use instant yeast, I do not “proof” the yeast, but instead combine all the ingredients, starting with 480 grams (4 cups) of flour. I gradually add flour a 60 ml (¼ cup) at a time until it is pulling away from the sides of the bowl and can be turned out onto a table or low counter to knead. Add more flour gradually and knead until the dough is soft and smooth (like a baby’s bottom!). This is where you have to go on your own a bit – as one develops a feel for this. The dough is ready when it is no longer sticky and has some resistance, but is soft. This usually takes 10 minutes of kneading.
Place in a large mixing bowl and let rise in a warm spot until doubled. Test it by pushing against the side of the dough with your finger, the impression should remains and not fill back in.
Preheat oven to 204°C (400°F) and oil three 25 x 38 cm (10 x 15 inch) rimmed cookie sheets. Punch down the dough and divide into three equal pieces, two of which you will use for making pirags; reserve the remaining dough for the kuchen sheet cake.
For assembly: Roll out a third of the dough on a floured board to approximately .7 cm (⅓ inch) thick. Using a cookie cutter or glass about 7.6 cm (3 inches) in diameter, stamp out circles. Press together and re-roll dough scraps. Pat each circle evenly with your fingertips to make it slightly larger in diameter, then place a heaping teaspoon of filling off-center toward the bottom half of the circle. Fold over the top half of the circle, taking care to not touch the filling with the edge, and press firmly along edge to seal. Tuck under so the seam is on the bottom and curve the ends down slightly to form a crescent shape.
Place the piragi on the greased pans in rows. Prick each one with a fork three times and let rise for 10 minutes. Brush with egg wash, wait 5 minutes, then place in preheated oven. Check for done-ness after 10 minutes; they should be golden brown and glorious. My mother said that any that opened up while baking were laughing.
Irene Sungailis Lubans’ Apple Kuchen
As told to and adapted by her daughter, Eva Lubans Baughman
Ingredients
- •Vegetable oil for cookie sheet
- •Remaining one-third of the piragi dough from the Piragi* recipe
- •Remaining egg wash from previous recipe
- •4-6 pared and cored baking apples cut into 16ths
- •99 grams (½ cup sugar) mixed with 10 ml (2 teaspoons) cinnamon
- •113 grams (4 ounces) butter, melted
Preparation
Preheat oven to 177°C (350°F). and oil a 25 x 38 cm (10 x 15 inch) rimmed cookie sheet. Roll out the dough to fit the sheet. Press next to the edges to form a rim around the sides of the dough. Brush edge with egg wash.
Top the dough with overlapping sliced apples to make four closely-spaced long rows. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the apples. Drizzle the melted butter over the apples. Set aside to let the dough rise until doubled.
Bake until the apples are soft and edges golden brown, about 15 minutes. The kuchen can be placed briefly under a broiler if additional browning is desired. Let cool, and cut into rectangular or diamond shapes approximately 5 x 7.6 cm (2 x 3 inches).