Paszteciki are small pies made of yeast dough and sauerkraut and mushroom filling. They are typically served with red borscht (barszcz czerwony) on Christmas Eve.
Polish sauerkraut pies are vegetarian that’s why Poles eat them during Wigilia (Christmas Eve supper). Paszteciki z miesem (Polish meat pies) are equally popular in Poland, however, according to the tradition, you are not supposed to eat meat the day before Christmas.
The dough for both types of paszteciki is exactly the same. The only difference is in the filling.
If you are attending a typical Polish wedding, it’s very likely that you will be served red borscht and paszteciki as a warm meal around 1 am at night. Yes, that’s right- Polish weddings last the whole night and they usually end up early in the morning.
How To Make Polish Sauerkraut Pies?
See also my Polish Christmas Sauerkrat Pie (Kulebiak) Recipe.
The full Polish sauerkraut pies recipe is at the end of this article.
Paszteciki are made of yeast dough. There are 2 things that this type of dough needs: time and heat.
After making the dough, you need to wait for an hour until it doubles its size. It needs to be placed in a warm place.
The room temperature will be just fine. If it’s cold outside, remember to close the windows in the kitchen! The higher the temperature in the room, the better for the dough.
When your yeast dough is growing, you may focus on making the filling. It’s really easy.
Cook mushrooms with sauerkraut and spices until they are soft. Then chop them and add to the fried onion. That’s it!
I love working with the yeast dough. It’s so fluffy and easy to roll out!
Forming paszteciki is pretty simple. After rolling out the dough, you need to cut it into the strings (horizontally).
Next, place the filling in the middle of each string.
The final step is to roll up the pastry, making sure the filling stays inside (it should get between the dough). Cut the roll into small square paszteciki and bake. That’s it!
Tips For Making Polish Sauerkraut Pies
Use Instant Yeast If Fresh Are Unavailable
For this recipe, you will need to use 4 ½ teaspoons of instant yeast. You don’t need to mix them with sugar first.
Don’t Eat Warm Polish Christmas Pies
Try to wait until your Polish sauerkraut pies are cold before you start eating them.
It’s believed that eating hot yeast dough may cause digestive problems.
Use Ready To Bake Pastry If You Are In A Hurry
You don’t need to make the dough from scratch. If you want, you may use ready-to-bake pastry. Be sure to adjust the baking time and temperature to the instruction on the package.
Polish Sauerkraut Pies Recipe – Paszteciki Z Kapusta i Grzybami
Polish Sauerkraut Pies Recipe - Paszteciki Z Kapusta i Grzybami

Ingredients
Yeast dough for Polish sauerkraut pies
- 2 oz (55g) of fresh yeast
- 4 cups/ 18oz / 500g of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (230g) of butter
- 1 cup (240g) of milk
- 2 eggs yolks
- 1 tbsp of sugar
- 2 tbsps of salt
Filling for Polish sauerkraut pies
- 18 oz (500g) of sauerkraut
- 1-2 oz (30-50g) of dried mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 allspice berries
- oil
- salt
- pepper
Others
- cumin/ black seed/ dried onion /poppy seed to sprinkle paszteciki
Instructions
How To Make The Dough For Paszteciki?
- Using a spoon, mix yeast with sugar until it becomes fluid.
- Warm up the milk (it shouldn't be too cold or too hot).
- Melt the butter on the pan.
- Carefully mix all the ingredients for the dough together. You may make it by hand (in a bowl) or use a food processor.
- Place the dough in a big bowl and cover with a clean kitchen cloth.
- Let the dough rest in a warm place for an hour. After that time, it should double its size.
How To Make The Filling For Polish Sauerkraut Pies?
- Cover the dried mushrooms with 1 cup of hot water. Cook for about 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, drain the sauerkraut. If you don't want your filling to be too sour, you may even rinse it.
- Add the sauerkraut, allspice berries, bay leaves to the mushrooms and cook until soft (for about 30 minutes).
- After that time, throw away the allspice berries and bay leaves. Drain the mushrooms and sauerkraut if necessary.
- When they are cold, chop them. It's up to you whether you chop them finely or not.
- Peel and dice an onion, peel and crush the garlic, and fry them together in oil.
- Add the cooked mushrooms and sauerkraut and fry for another 5-10 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
How To Assemble Paszteciki Z Kapustą i Grzybami?
- Preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C).
- Line the baking pan with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll out each part of the dough onto a floured surface.
- Cut the dough horizontally (see the photo below).
- Place the sauerkraut filling in the center of the dough strip. (see the photo above).
- Roll up the pastry, starting at one of the long ends. Be sure the filling doesn't get between the dough, otherwise, your paszteciki may fall apart while baking.
- When your roll is ready, cut it into smaller pieces (see the photo below).
- Move your paszteciki onto the baking pan.
- Brush them with egg white or melted butter. Sprinkle with cumin, poppy seeds, black seeds, or fried onion (it's not necessary).
- Bake for about 25 minutes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 313Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 3182mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 10gSugar: 9gProtein: 11g
These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix
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