Karelian Pasties (Karjalanpiirakka) — Rye Crusts Filled with Rice Porridge

• 180 gshort-grain porridge rice
• 240 mlwater
• 720 mlwhole milk
• 5 gfine sea salt
• 15 gunsalted butter
• 240 grye flour
• 60 gall-purpose flour (helps the dough roll thinly while keeping a rye-forward flavor)
• 180 mlcool water
• 3large eggs

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the rice filling first because it must cool before assembly. Combine the rice and 240 ml water in a heavy saucepan, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes until most of the water is absorbed.

2. 2

   Add 720 ml whole milk and 5 g salt, then reduce the heat to low. Cook gently for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring often, until the rice is very soft and the mixture is a thick porridge that holds its shape on a spoon.

3. 3

   Stir 15 g butter into the hot rice porridge, then spread the filling on a tray to cool quickly. The filling should be cool or barely warm before it goes onto the crust, because hot filling softens the rye dough and makes crimping difficult.

4. 4

   Prepare the egg butter while the filling cools. Hard-boil the eggs for 10 minutes, cool them in cold water for 8 minutes, peel, chop finely, and mix with 60 g softened butter and 2 g salt until spreadable but still slightly chunky.

5. 5

   Make the crust by mixing 240 g rye flour, 60 g all-purpose flour, and 4 g salt in a bowl. Add 180 ml cool water and knead for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the dough is cohesive, firm, and not sticky.

6. 6

   Divide the dough into 16 equal balls, each about 30 g. Keep the dough covered with a clean towel as you work, because rye dough dries quickly and cracked edges are harder to shape.

7. 7

   Heat the oven to 275°C or 525°F with a baking sheet inside if your oven can safely reach that temperature. If your oven is limited to 250°C or 480°F, use that setting and add 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time.

8. 8

   Dust the work surface with part of the 30 g rye flour and roll each dough ball into a very thin oval, about 16 cm long and 11 cm wide. The crust should be thin enough to show slight translucency at the edges but sturdy enough to lift without tearing.

9. 9

   Spoon about 45 g cooled rice filling down the center of each oval, leaving a 2 cm border all around. Fold the long edges up over the filling and crimp the dough with small fingertip pleats from the ends toward the center, leaving the filling visible.

10. 10

    Transfer the shaped pasties to parchment-lined baking sheets or directly onto the preheated baking sheet if you are confident moving them quickly. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, until the rye edges are lightly browned and the rice filling has small golden spots.

11. 11

    Warm 120 ml milk with 40 g butter until the butter melts, but do not boil the mixture. Brush the hot pasties generously with this butter glaze as soon as they leave the oven, making sure both the crust edges and rice filling are moistened.

12. 12

    Cover the glazed pasties loosely with a clean towel for 10 minutes to soften the crusts slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature with a spoonful of egg butter on top, as is traditional in Finnish homes and bakeries.