Make Knish

A knish is classic Jewish deli food, but you can easily make it at home. Create a basic dough that doesn't need any yeast or proofing. Roll the dough into two large squares. Spread your choice of filling over the dough. You can make a traditional potato and onion/cheese filling. Roll the dough over the filling, twist the dough, and cut it to get six segments. Seal each knish and bake them until they're golden brown.

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 2 1/2 cups (312 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil (or schmaltz)
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water

For Potato and Onion Filling

• 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced small
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg yolk for brushing over the knishes
• 1 teaspoon water for brushing over the knishes

Makes 6 3-inch (7.5 cm) knishes

For Cheese Filling

• 1 1/2 cups (150 g) diced shallots
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups (450 g) drained cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon low sodium salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons low-fat crème fraîche

Makes 6 3-inch (7.5 cm) knishes

Steps

Making the Knish Dough

1. Combine the dry ingredients. Get out a large bowl and put all of the dry ingredients into it. Stir the ingredients until they're combined and then set the bowl aside. For the dry ingredients, you'll need:
   • 2 1/2 cups (312 g) all-purpose flour
   • 1 teaspoon baking powder
   • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
2. Whisk together the wet ingredients. Get out a small bowl and crack one egg into it. Add 1/2 cup (120 ml) of vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon of white vinegar, and 1/2 cup (120 ml) of water. Whisk the wet ingredients until the egg is completely blended into the liquids.
   • If you'd prefer, you could use schmaltz instead of vegetable oil.
3. Combine the dough into a shaggy ball. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir the mixtures together. Put the dough onto a work surface and knead it until it forms a rough ball.
   • You'll need to work the dough for about a minute so it comes together.
4. Rest the dough for at least an hour. Transfer the knish dough back to the mixing bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Put the dough aside for one hour to rest while you make one of the fillings.
   • If you'd like to make the dough in advance, chill the dough in the fridge. You can prepare it up to three days before you want to make the knishes.

Mixing the Potato and Onion Filling

1. Peel and cut the potatoes. Wash 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) of Russet potatoes. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the potatoes. Take a sharp knife and carefully cut each potato into four pieces. Put the pieces of potato into a large pot.
2. Boil and drain the potatoes. Pour enough cold water over the potatoes in the pot to completely cover them. Turn the heat on to high so the water comes to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium and cook the potatoes for about 20 minutes. Drain the cooked potatoes and put the potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Let the potatoes cool.
   • To see if the potatoes are done cooking, poke one of them with a fork. If you can insert and remove the fork easily, the potatoes are done.
3. Saute the yellow onion. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable or olive oil and 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Peel and dice 1 small yellow onion. Add the onion to the hot pan and turn the heat to medium-low. Stir and cook the onion until it's dark golden brown and softened.
   • You can saute the onion for 20 to 30 minutes to get a deep caramelized flavor.
4. Mash and flavor the potato and onion filling. Scoop the caramelized onion into the mixing bowl with the potatoes. Mash the mixture until it's almost smooth. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon table salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Set the filling aside while you roll out the knish dough.

Mixing the Cheese Filling

1. Saute the shallots. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Peel and dice enough shallots to get 1 1/2 cups (150 g) of diced shallots. Add them to the pan and stir them. Stir and saute the shallots for a few minutes and then remove them from heat.
   • The shallots should soften and become translucent. Keep an eye on them since shallots can burn quickly.
2. Drain the cottage cheese. Place a few layers of cheesecloth into a fine mesh strainer. Set the strainer over a sink. Put 2 cups (450 g) of cottage cheese into the cheesecloth and let it drain for 30 minutes to 1 hour. You don't need to save the liquid that drains out of the cottage cheese. Transfer the drained cottage cheese to a mixing bowl.
   • If you don't have cheesecloth, you can line the strainer with large coffee filters.
3. Combine the cheese filling. Scoop the sauteed shallots into the bowl with the drained cottage cheese. Add the remaining filling ingredients and stir the filling mixture until it's combined. You'll need:
   • 1 egg
   • 1 teaspoon low sodium salt
   • 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
   • 2 tablespoons low-fat crème fraîche

Assembling the Knishes

1. Preheat the oven and prepare a baking sheet. Turn the oven on to 375 degrees F (190 C). This will ensure that the oven is ready to use once you've rolled and filled the knishes. Get out a large baking sheet and lay a sheet of parchment paper over it. Set the sheet aside while you roll the dough.
2. Divide the dough and roll it into a square. Remove the plastic wrap from the bowl with the dough and place the dough on your work surface. Cut the dough in half to get two equal pieces. Set one piece aside. Sprinkle your work surface with some flour and put the other piece of dough on it. Roll the dough into a thin square that's about 12 inches (30 cm) in size. You'll need to roll the other piece of dough into a square too.
   • Sprinkle more flour on your work surface if the dough begins to stick.
3. Spread filling on the dough and roll it into a log. Take your filling and divide it into two portions (one for each square of dough). Shape one portion of filling into a 2-inch (5 cm) long and place it across the bottom of the dough. Fold the dough over the filling and roll it up to the end. Roll and fill the other portion of dough and filling.
   • Avoid rolling the dough too tightly or it may split as it bakes.
   • If you'd like to make two different kinds of knishes, make a half batch of each type of filling. Use one filling on each of the squares of dough.
4. Trim the ends and twist the dough. Use a knife or bench scraper to trim off the ends of each log of filled dough. These ends are the parts that don't contain any of the fillings. Use your finger to press indentations on the log at 3 inches (7.5 cm) and 6 inches (15 cm) across. Twist the dough at these points.
   • Twisting the dough will seal off individual knishes (kind of like how sausage links are strung together).
5. Cut and seal each knish. Cut the dough at the twisted points so you end up with 3 segments for each log. Pinch the ends of one segment together to make a sealed bottom of one knish. Press the knish with the palm of your hand to flatten it a little. If you want, you can pinch the top ends like you did on the bottom or you can loosely fold them over the dough so they're slightly open.
   • If you're using different fillings for half of your knishes, consider sealing the tops differently so you can tell them apart.

Baking the Knishes

1. Place the knishes on the baking sheet. Get out the baking sheet that you lined with parchment paper. Set the six knishes on the paper and ensure that they aren't touching one another.
   • If your knishes are large and your baking pan is small, consider using two small baking sheets.
2. Brush the knishes with an egg wash. Place 1 large egg yolk into a prep bowl and add 1 teaspoon of water. Whisk the egg yolk and water together until they're combined. Dip a pastry brush into the egg wash and brush it over the knishes on the baking sheet.
   • The egg wash will make the knishes turn golden brown as they bake. It will also make them slightly glossy.
3. Bake the knishes. Put the knishes in the preheated oven and bake them for 45 minutes. Check the knishes halfway through baking to ensure that they're baking evenly. If one side of the pan is browning faster, you may need to turn the tray so they bake evenly. Serve the knishes once they're warm enough to handle.
   • Knishes are best served the same day you bake them, but you can freeze them unbaked. Put unbaked knishes into an airtight container and freeze them until you're ready to pop them in the oven. You don't need to defrost them before baking the knishes.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Digital scale
• Mixing bowls
• Plastic wrap
• Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
• Large nonstick pan
• Fine mesh strainer
• Vegetable peeler
• Large pot
• Cheesecloth or coffee filters
• Knife and cutting board
• Colander
• Parchment paper
• Large baking sheet
• Rolling pin
• Prep bowls
• Pastry brush
• Bench scraper, optional

Sources and Citations

See also

• Make Soy Sauce
• Make Mahamri
• Make Oyster Sauce
• Make Flour Dumplings
• Cook Israeli Couscous
• Cook Malai Kofta
• Make Hung Curd