Fried Water Dough Hand Pies
Golden, fluffy, with a juicy filling. Fried water dough hand pies always turn out delicious. You can make them with absolutely any filling, for example rice, potatoes, or apples with cinnamon and different berries.
Updated : 04 June, 2026
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
Dough
400 grams
Wheat flour
250 milliliters
Water
25 grams
Yeast
1 tablespoon
Sugar
1 tablespoon
Vegetable oil
2 grams
Salt
Filling
600 grams
White cabbage
50 grams
Butter
30 grams
Dill
2
Eggs
to taste
Salt
to taste
Ground black pepper
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How do you make fried water dough hand pies in a skillet? Prepare the necessary ingredients for the dough. Use all-purpose flour. The yeast can be either fresh compressed yeast or dry granulated yeast. In any case, check the expiration date: the yeast must be fresh.
Step 2
Heat the water to 35-40°C, about 95-104°F. To check the temperature, put a drop of water on the inside of your wrist. If the water feels slightly warm and is barely noticeable on the skin, the temperature is right. If it feels hot or cold, the water is either too warm or too cool, so it should be cooled down or heated a little more.
Step 3
If you are using fresh yeast, crumble it into the warm water and add the sugar. Stir everything together. This type of yeast does not need to stand, as it is already active.
Step 4
Dry yeast, however, needs to be activated: add the sugar and yeast to the warm water, stir, and leave it until a fluffy cap appears. If no cap appears, the yeast is inactive and cannot be used further. You will need to repeat the process with fresh yeast.
Step 5
Pour the yeast mixture into a deep bowl. Sift all the flour into it, add the salt, and pour in the vegetable oil. You may need a little less or a little more flour, so judge by the consistency of the dough.
Step 6
Knead a smooth, slightly sticky dough. It should be kneaded by hand for about 7 minutes. If you are using a stand mixer, knead it for the same amount of time.
Step 7
Cover the dough with a towel and leave it in a warm place for 1 hour. After an hour, the dough will have risen and can be used to shape the hand pies.
Step 8
How do you make the filling for fried yeast hand pies on water? You can use any filling, sweet or savory. I made mine with a cabbage filling. You can use either young cabbage or older cabbage. You can replace the dill with other favorite herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, or green onion, or make a mix of different herbs.
Step 9
Melt the butter beforehand and let it cool.
Step 10
Shred the cabbage thinly, removing the core and some of the tough leaves around it.
Step 11
Bring 600 ml of water, about 2 1/2 cups, to a boil in a pot, matching the amount of cabbage. Add the cabbage to the boiling water, bring it back to a boil, and blanch over medium heat: young cabbage for about 4 minutes, old cabbage for about 6-7 minutes. During this time, the cabbage should become soft.
Step 12
Drain the cabbage in a colander, let it cool, and squeeze it gently with your hands to remove excess moisture.
Step 13
Hard-boil the eggs, cool them, peel them, and finely chop them with a knife. The filling should not have large pieces that could damage the dough while shaping the hand pies.
Step 14
Wash the herbs, dry them well by shaking off the excess moisture, and chop them finely.
Step 15
In a bowl, combine all the prepared filling ingredients. Season the filling with salt and pepper and mix very well.
Step 16
Divide the risen dough into 12–14 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball with your hands.
Step 17
On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough ball into an even circle using a rolling pin. The circles should be about 10-12 cm, about 4-4 3/4 inches, across. Place 1-2 tablespoons of cabbage filling onto each piece of dough.
Step 18
Pinch the edges of the dough tightly, shaping an elongated hand pie. Make the rest of the hand pies the same way.
Step 19
Heat vegetable oil in a skillet so that it completely covers the bottom. Place several hand pies seam-side down into the skillet and fry over medium-high heat, on my stove it is setting 7 out of 9, until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Adjust to your stove and skillet, as it may take more or less time. Then turn the hand pies over and fry for about the same amount of time until golden brown on the other side.
Step 20
The yeast hand pies on water are ready. Enjoy your meal!
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