Carrot Pie (Estonian Porgandipirukas)

Estonian Porgandipirukas is a delicious savoury carrot pie with onions and boiled egg.

Dough:
½ cup milk, lukewarm
3/8 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. yeast
½ tsp. sugar
¾ all-purpose flour, unbleached
3 Tbsp. butter, cold
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
beaten egg, for brushing
sesame seeds, for topping

Filling:
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 large carrots, grated
½ medium white onion, minced
1 hard-boiled egg, finely chopped
¼ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 pinch nutmeg

Make the Dough:
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the milk, salt, yeast, and sugar. Add in ¾ cup flour, and mix until thoroughly combined. (Reserve the additional flour for later.) Set this dough base aside to rise for 15-20 minutes.

Make the Carrot Filling:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the carrot and onion. Sauté for 5-10 minutes, until the carrots begin to soften, adding a water to the pan as needed to prevent browning. Remove from heat and stir in salt, pepper, nutmeg, and boiled egg.

Continue to prepare the dough. Place ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour in a separate bowl. Cut in the 3 Tbsp. cold butter. Use fingertips to incorporate the butter into the flour. The mixture should look crumbly, and there should still be small chunks of butter in the flour mixture.

Add the flour and butter mixture to the yeasted dough base. Fold the flour and butter in, then use your hands to knead it into a rough dough. Give the dough a few folds, adding an extra tablespoon or two of flour if needed. The dough should be mostly even, with some steaks of butter visible, and only slightly tacky to the touch.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Roll out the dough into a 9x13" rectangle. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet, and spread the filling down the center of the dough lengthwise. Fold each side of the dough over, and pinch down the ends (optional). Brush some beaten egg over the top of the pie. Sprinkle with sesame seeds for garnish.

Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the pastry is cooked through and browning on top. Cool slightly before serving.

Makes 4 small servings.