Flaky Pasties with Mushroom and Sauerkraut

Ingredients

{dough}
• 450 g (3 3/4 cups) all purpose flour
• 350 g (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 200 ml (3/4 cup) cold water
• 2/3 tsp. salt
{mushroom filling}
• 350 g (12 oz) mushrooms
• 1 medium onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• salt, black pepper
{sauerkraut filling}
• 250 g (9 oz) sauerkraut
• 1 medium onion
• 1/3 tsp. cumin seeds (if sauerkraut is without them)
• salt, black pepper
{for baking}
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. water

Recipe Directions

1. 1. Mushroom filling: Dice the onion. Preheat a little oil in a skillet over medium heat, fry the onions until soften. Mince garlic cloves and fry briefly together with onion.
2. 2. Slice mushrooms and put in the same skillet with onions. Fry mushrooms while stirring from time to time, until mushrooms soften, then transfer on a plate and leave to cool completely.
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3. 3. Sauerkraut filling: Preheat enough oil in a skillet over medium heat, then fry diced onion until it softens. Put sauerkraut in a sieve and rinse under cold water so that it is not too sour.
4. 4. Then transfer to a skillet with onion and fry stirring from time to time for ~ 10 minutes. Pour 1 glass of water and simmer for ~ 30-35 minutes until sauerkraut softens and water evaporates. If necessary, add a little more water.
5. 5. Then leave sauerkraut to cool completely.
6. 6. Mix flour with salt and sift.
7. 7. Divide butter into 4 equal parts.
8. 8. Incorporate ¼ of butter into flour using a fork, then gradually add water and stir with a fork. When you can’t mix using a fork, then knead with our hands. The dough will be slightly sticky. Place the dough on a well-floured surface and roll out a rectangle shape adding more flour if necessary to stop from sticking.
9. 9. Dot soft butter on 2/3 of the dough, then fold the edges of the dough towards the middle, squeeze lightly by hand and roll out. Fold the dough and roll it until the butter is incorporated into the dough. Throughout the process, keep adding flour on the dough to make it easier to roll.
10. 10. Add remaining butter in portions and incorporate it into the dough the same way. When you roll out the dough, you will see how the butter beautifully forms layers of dough. The whole point is to keep folding the dough and rolling.
11. 11. When you’re done, wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
12. 12. Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F).
13. 13. Take about 1/5 of the dough and roll out a not very thick sheet of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Using about 6 inches in diameter plate, cut out the dough circles. In the middle of each dough circle add a tablespoon of mushroom filling and on the other dough circles – a tablespoon of sauerkraut filling.
14. 14. Squeeze the edges of each pastry well, then close them again using a fork. Place pasties on parchment paper, brush with egg and water mixture, sprinkle with salt and bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.
15. 15. Pasties are delicious both hot and cold.