How to Cook Ukranian Beet Rolls With Dill Sauce

Ukrainian beet rolls, also known as holopchi, are small pieces of bread wrapped in beet leaves. They are often served with a creamy, rich dill sauce. Beet rolls take a few hours to prepare, or longer if you're using homemade bread dough. To streamline the process, use frozen bread dough for this recipe.

Things You'll Need

• 2 lb. package of frozen, unbaked bread dough
• Young beet leaves
• Deep glass or metal baking dish
• Butter for greasing dish
• Aluminum foil
• 1/2 cup butter
• Medium saucepan
• 2 cups cream
• 8 chopped green onions
• 1 cup chopped fresh dill
• 2 cloves minced garlic

Instructions

1. Thaw the frozen bread dough completely, according to the instructions on the package. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a towel and set it in a warm place to rise until doubled.

2. Clean the beet leaves while the dough is rising. Trim the leaves away from their stalks and rinse the sand and dirt gently from the surface. Dry them thoroughly. Smaller young beet leaves work best for this recipe because they are narrower and much more tender than mature leaves.

3. Punch down the doubled dough and pinch off pieces that are about the size and shape of a walnut. Place a piece of dough in the center of one end of a leaf, then roll the beet leaf loosely around the dough. Make sure the dough has room to expand in the leaf. Repeat until all dough and leaves have been used.

4. Lightly grease a baking dish with butter and line up the beet rolls in a single layer in the dish. Cover, place in a warm area and allow the dough to rise until doubled again.

5. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 30 minutes. Check the rolls at that time; they may need to go for another 15 to 30 minutes. The beet rolls should be puffy and firm, and any exposed bread should be lightly golden.

6. Melt the 1/2 cup of butter in a medium saucepan, then add the cream, green onions, dill and garlic. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat, then drop the heat to low until serving. Ladle the dill sauce over the rolls right before consuming.

Tips & Warnings

• If you prefer to use homemade bread dough, it's simple to substitute it for the frozen dough. Traditional holopchi are filled with airy white bread, but any kind would do.

References

• Equal Opportunity Kitchen
• What's on Winnipeg