Karelian Pies (Karjalanpiirakka)

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!

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!

Of course the Finns will probably flip when they read this, but I didn't have any rye flour, so I used regular flour and added a tsp. of italian seasoning, tsp of chives, and a tsp of rosemary. The pies turned out wonderfully and tasted great. I will definately try this again and see what it tastes like with rye flour.

Exactly like I remember them from Finland. I have been looking for this recipe sine my one and only visit in 1989. Thanks!

I have two Finnish daughters in law and first tasted these delicious pies in Levi in Northern Finland. We used to eat them warm with chopped hard boiled egg mixed with melted butter on top.I was thrilled to find this recipe and made them with very good results. I used sushi rice and a pasta machine to get the required thickness for the dough.One of my daughters in law is staying with me in Australia and she enjoyed the little taste of home. I made mine a little smaller than Sarah's and boy, are they filling. No ski slopes here to work them off ! Thanks Sarah.

Time consuming but fun to make the boat shape. The dough can be sticky so dusting is important when rolling out the dough. My hubbie found this a bit confusing, though, because he expected sweet rice pudding wrapped in dough. Leftover made a great snack when reheated in the oven.

Loved this recipe! Thank you! Made me feel like I was back in Finland

This was surprisingly wonderful. After reading the reviews I saw that it is customary in Finland to top it with egg butter (melted butter and diced hard boiled eggs). Seemed weird at first but oh man...it sent it over the top. Loved this recipe.

I really liked these!

Mine weren't pretty, and due to the grocery store being out of rye flour and me being impatient, I used plain white flour. But it tastes great! I put a slice of cheese over a few when I took them out of the oven and my boyfriend and I ate them with the melted cheese. Absolutely amazing. I can't think of a better breakfast food or heavy snack. Will have to determine the best way to reheat. I hope nuking will work, but I think oven will be the only way to get the right texture.

This dish is very creative and delicious. I prepared them today and are very crispy. Next time I'll substitute for seafood inside or meat. Thank you!

I quadrupled this for a large party. I used arborio rice and goat milk. Only used half the recommended amount of milk and the filling was fine. Used a pasta machine to roll out the crust (thanks to a previous poster for that idea.) It's fine to work with rectangular crust dough, no need to have all the excess you have to re-roll working with circles or ovals. Only thing I have to add, and this will be a no-brainer for more experienced cooks: Stir in the water by hand before turning on your mixer. Rye flour is somehow more slippery than wheat and my kitchen was a disaster area because I made that mistake. Rye everywhere.

Great recipe! Grew up making these with my mom but have never tried them on my own as it always seemed daunting.... Thought I would give this a try and realized it was daunting because we made HUNDREDS at a time! LOL. To keep pirakkas from being too crisp or hard after cooking, brush them lightly with an egg/milk mix immediately after coming out of the oven, front and back, and then leave them under a (clean) towel to cool.

I was introduced to these by a co-worker who's wife made them. I liked them so much I searched on here for the recipe and made them. A lot of work to make but they are my favourite snack!

Great recipe, I made a dairy free version with soy milk in the porridge and dairy free marg and it was superb, almost as nice as my mummu used to make!

Karjalan Piirakka were my FAVORITE growing up. with a nice slab of butter on top.. mmmm. My Mummu always made them perfect

I am a Finnish woman and have made these pies all my life!! The recipe is ok,but right after coming out of the oven, you MUST dip the pies quickly in hot milk and place in a platter or baking sheet and cover them with plastic wrap and a clean towel!! If you don't do this step. your Karjalan piirakka will be too hard and dry!! Also; us Finns eat them with just plain butter or with chopped boiled egg/butter mixture!!

This is a great recipe, very simple to make. After baking I brush them top and bottom with a mix of hot milk and butter to soften them up a little, and to add some extra grease ;) They are super topped traditionally with eggbutter (like egg salad but using butter or margarine instead of mayo). My son LOVES them filled with mashed potatoes instead of rice. Again, extra greasy and salty mashed potatoes...

my mummu uses this recipe each time i go to her home.To add a little spice she just sprinkles a little bit of cayenne pepper and in a flash it tastes even more magnificent.

We have always dipped the pirakka in a mixture of hot milk and butter after removing from oven. Cover with a tea towel so they will not become hard.

I just failed at getting 16 of these, or the ones in the photo are about the size of a quarter. I made only 6 small ones and had tons of rice left over. They are only worth the work if you are from Finland and need a taste of home or you have to make a Finnish recipe for school like we did. The combination of rice and rye (with egg butter) is yummy but could be just as good on nice toasted rye bread without all the work and mess.

Very good for the ingredients involved! These were fairly easy to make. I'll be making more of these!

Delicious. My husband liked them but wished they were softer. I liked the crispy texture of the outside part. I used Spelt instead of Rye because that was what I had on hand, and also only Spelt to mix in instead of regular wheat flour. I would love to make these again. Although they could possibly be described as bland, I loved the taste, because of the contrasting textures and slight saltiness (as opposed to something sweet.) Thank you!

Great! Just a reminder. I lived in Finland for a number of years. The Finns don't like to be referred to as Scandinavian! Nordic, maybe...

Absolutely delicious. Exactly as I had them when I took my eating tour through Helsinki. I love you for this.

I guess this must be something you grew up with, but I just feel like an hour of my life was wasted. I followed the directions exactly, with the exception of putting a sharp cheese on half of them halfway through cooking. Filling little blobs of rice, perhaps maybe with some cinnamon, sugar, and raisins? Even the cheese ones were ho hum. I’m sorry, I really wanted to like these. My hubby didn’t even finish 1

Very good!! Sprinkle a little bit of salt on them when done. My very picky 2 year old is eating right now-I'm stunned!!! I think I'd like my pastry shell to be a little bit thicker. I had leftover milk butter and I dunked them in it. I recommend this too!!

First time making this and first time eating it. Will definitely make it again. My family really enjoyed it too. Fun to make. I'm going to experiment a bit next time with a little seasoning.

Super easy and came out perfect! My wife's Finnish dad and grandmother both loved these, and said they were even better than the ones they get at the Finnish market!

These are good pies, and I learned to appreciate them during my stay in Finland, but if you don't have that ingrained appreciation, they might come across as a bit bland/boring on their own. For first-time Karjalan-eaters, I'd suggest pairing them up with something more than butter. :)

I only managed to make 6 dumplings and had about twice as much cooked rice as I needed.