This recipe is from The Bunny’s great-grandmother. She was Lithuanian and an excellent cook. The snail shape of the finished knish is unique to her home town. You can make yours in the traditional round or square shape if you prefer.
Yeast Mix:
- 1 package yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon flour
- ¼ cup lukewarm water
Dough:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons sugar
- ¼ cup lukewarm water
- 1 egg, separated
- ¼ cup oil
- ½ tsp salt
- Extra flour for dusting
Filling:
- 2 medium Idaho potato, peeled
- 1 onion, diced
- Salt, pepper, oil or schmaltz
- Sesame seeds for garnish, optional
- Activate the yeast – mix the yeast with the other activation ingredients in a small bowl. Let sit 5 minutes, until bubbly.
- Place the 2 cups of flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture, egg white, oil, water, sugar and salt. Mix with your hands or a wooden spoon to make a soft, moist dough. Dust with flour, cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, make the filling – place the peeled potatoes in a pot of cold salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Saute the onions in oil or schmaltz until caramelized. Mash the potatoes with the onions, salt and pepper, and additional oil if it looks a little dry. Make sure these are seasoned more than you think – this is the flavor!
- Punch the dough down, add 2 tablespoons flour and knead in. Put the dough back in the bowl, dust with flour, and let rise an additional 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 325*F
- Punch the dough down and divide into 8 pieces. Roll each piece to ¼ inch thick, spread with 1/8 of the filling and roll up like a jelly roll. The roll that into a snail.
- Place the knish snails on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the knish with an egg wash made with the reserved yolk and a splash of water. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
- Bake until golden brown and delicious, 45-60 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before eating like a little kosher piglet!