Karelian Pasties (Karjalanpiirakat)

Karelian pasties (Karjalanpiirakat in Finnish) are traditional pasties from North Karelia, Finland. Today they are eaten throughout Finland. According to the traditional recipe, the pasties are made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice. Butter, often mixed with boiled egg (munavoi), is spread over the hot pasties before eating.
Ingredients
Filling
- 500 ml boiling water
- 300 ml short-grain white rice
- 900 ml milk
- 1½ tsp salt
Crust
- 200 ml cold water
- 1½ tsp salt
- 350 ml rye flour
- 150 ml wheat flour
Moistening
- 100 ml milk
- 50 g butter
Egg-butter spread (munavoi)
- 50 g butter, softened
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- ¼ tsp salt (optional)
- ½ can (125 g) cottage cheese (optional)
Steps
Filling
- Mix rice into boiling water. Boil until the water is absorbed.
- Add milk. Stir a few minutes. Reduce heat. Cook about 40 min, stirring now and then, until the porridge is thick.
- Mix in salt. Cool the porridge.
Crust
- Mix flours and salt into the cold water. Knead until smooth and pliable.
- Shape into a block. Divide into about twenty pieces.
- Roll into balls. Flatten into small discs. Cover with plastic.
- Roll discs into thin circles, about 17 cm in diameter.
Baking
- Spread rice filling in an oblong shape on each circle.
- Crimp edges together with fingers to make a crust.
- Bake at about 250–300°C, 15 min, until crust is browned.
Finishing
- Heat butter and milk together until butter melts. Brush pasties with it.
- Stack pasties. Rest under a towel and baking paper.
- Beat the munavoi ingredients together. Use as butter on pasties.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Karelian Pasties (Karjalanpiirakat)” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-10-26, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo. Karjalanpiirakka-20060227.jpg by Jarno Elonen, Public domain, via Wikimedia. Resized; otherwise unchanged.






