Knish are typical panzerotti of Jewish culinary traditions that are easy to prepare at home. To make them, you must first make a simple dough that does not require long leavening times. The dough is then rolled up to form 2 large squares, on which to sprinkle your favorite filling. The traditional filling can be based on potatoes and onions or cheese. Roll the dough to wrap the filling, twist it and cut it into 6 parts. Close each panzerotto and bake it until golden brown.
Ingrediants
For the Dough
- 300 g of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon of table salt
- 1 large egg
- 120ml vegetable oil (or schmaltz)
- 1 teaspoon of white vinegar
- 120 ml of water
For the Potato and Onion-based Filling
- 700 g of russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 4 parts
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (such as olive oil)
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- ½ teaspoon of table salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Yolk of 1 large egg for brushing the knish
- 1 teaspoon of water to brush the knish
Doses for 6 knish of about 8 cm
For the Cheese Filling
- 150 g of diced shallots
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 450 g of drained cottage cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon of low sodium salt
- A pinch of black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of lean crème fraîche
Doses for 6 knish of about 8 cm
Steps
Part 1 of 5: Making the Dough
Step 1. Mix all the dry ingredients well in a large bowl until smooth, then set aside
You will need:
- 300 g of all-purpose flour;
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder;
- ½ teaspoon of table salt.
Step 2. Beat the wet ingredients
Break an egg into a small bowl, then add 120ml of vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon of white vinegar and 120ml of water. Beat until the egg is completely blended with the moist ingredients.
Vegetable oil can be replaced with schmaltz
Step 3. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ones and mix them with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon
Place the dough on the work surface. Work it up to form a sphere.
The dough must be worked for about 1 minute to obtain a compact sphere
Step 4. Move it to the bowl and cover it with cling film
Let it rest for an hour and in the meantime prepare the filling.
If you want to prepare it in advance, keep it in the fridge. You can make it up to 3 days before the actual knish preparation
Part 2 of 5: Prepare the Potato and Onion Filling
Step 1. Wash 700g of russet potatoes
Peel them with a vegetable peeler and carefully cut them into 4 parts with a sharp knife. Place them in a large saucepan.
Step 2. Pour cold water over the potatoes until they are completely covered
Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook the potatoes for about 20 minutes. Drain them and put them in a large bowl. Let them cool.
To see if they are cooked, stick one with a fork - if you can easily insert and remove it, then they are ready
Step 3. Brown the onion
Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or another type of vegetable oil) and 1 tablespoon of butter into a large non-stick pan. Let it heat over medium heat. Peel 1 small yellow onion and dice it. Place it in the boiling pan and set the heat to medium-low. Stir and brown the onion until soft and golden.
The onion can be browned for 20-30 minutes in order to obtain an intense caramelized taste
Step 4. Move the caramelized onion into the bowl with a spoon and mash it with the potatoes until the mixture is almost completely smooth
Add ½ teaspoon of table salt and season with pepper. Set the filling aside and roll out the dough.
Part 3 of 5: Prepare the Cheese Filling
Step 1. Brown the shallots
Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large non-stick pan and let it heat over medium heat. Peel and dice the shallots until you get 150 g. Place them in the pan and stir them. Let them brown for a few minutes, then remove them from the heat.
The shallots should soften and wilt. Keep an eye on them - they burn quickly
Step 2. Drain the cottage cheese
Line a fine mesh colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it on a sink. Place 450 g of cottage cheese in cheesecloth and let them drain for 30-60 minutes. Do not store the liquid. Transfer the drained cottage cheese to a bowl.
In the absence of cheesecloth, the strainer can be lined with large coffee filters
Step 3. Make the cheese filling
Move the browned shallots into the cottage cheese bowl with the help of a spoon. Add the other filling ingredients and mix them until you get a homogeneous blend. You will need:
- 1 egg;
- 1 teaspoon of low-sodium salt;
- A pinch of ground pepper;
- 2 tablespoons of lean crème fraîche.
Part 4 of 5: Forming the Knish
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 190 ° C to make sure it is ready once you have formed and stuffed the knish
Take a large baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Set it aside while you roll out the dough.
Step 2. Remove the cling film from the bowl of dough and lay it on your work surface
Cut it in half, trying to get 2 equal parts. Set one aside. Sprinkle the work surface with flour and lay a part of the dough on it. Roll it out to form a thin square of about 30cm. Repeat with the other side.
If the dough starts to stick to the surface, sprinkle more flour on it
Step 3. Take the filling and divide it into 2 portions (one for each square of dough)
Shape a portion until you get a cylinder with a thickness of about 5 cm and place it at the bottom of the dough. Wrap the dough over the filling until it is completely wrapped. Repeat with the other part of the dough.
- Avoid rolling it too tightly, otherwise it could break during cooking.
- If you want to make 2 different types of knish, use a different filling for each half of the dough.
Step 4. Using a knife or dough scraper, cut the ends of each filled cylinder
The ends are the parts that do not contain any filling. Create indentations on the dough by pressing it with your fingers. Calculate about 8 cm of distance between one indent and the other. Roll the dough into these places.
Twisting the dough allows you to create the individual knishes (think how the sausage knots are prepared)
Step 5. Cut the dough in the twisted places so that you get 3 segments per cylinder
Pinch the lower ends of a segment to close the knish. Press it with the palm of your hand to flatten it a little. You can also pinch the top ends, just like you did on the bottom, or fold them softly over the dough so that it is left slightly open.
If you use a different filling for each half of the dough, try to close the top ends differently to be able to distinguish the knish
Part 5 of 5: Baking the Knish
Step 1. Place the 6 knish on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure they don't touch each other, and put them in the oven
If the knishes are large and won't fit in the pan, try using 2 small pans
Step 2. Brush the knish
Pour the yolk of one large egg into a small bowl and add a teaspoon of water. Beat them until they are combined well. Dip a pastry brush and brush the mixture over the knish.
The egg allows them to brown and make them slightly shiny during cooking
Step 3. Bake the knish for 45 minutes
Check them halfway through cooking to make sure they are cooking evenly. If one side of the pan is browning faster, rotate it to ensure even cooking. Once they have cooled enough to be picked up, serve them.
