Beliashi - cooking recipe

Ingredients

The Dough
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup lukewarm milk
The Filling
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 -4 tablespoons butter
2 -3 tablespoons oil

Preparation

In a small bowl soften yeast in 1/4 cup of the lukewarm milk with the sugar. Let it stand a few minutes, stir to dissolve completely; set it aside for 5-8 minutes till it's foamy.
Pour flour into a deep mixing bowl & make a well in it. Pour the yeast mix & remaining flour into the well and mix well, beating vigorously till a stiff dough forms.
Remove dough to lightly floured board and knead about 10 minutes till dough is smooth & elastic.
Place in buttered bowl, cover with towel & allow to rise about 45 minutes or until dough doubles in bulk.
The Filling.
Combine beef, onions, salt & pepper and mix well.
Assembly:.
On lightly floured board roll out dough to 1/8\" thickness & cut out 16 circles with a 4-1/2 inch cookie cutter.
Place 5 teaspoons of filling on each circle & moisten the edges with cold water.
Fold up all edges of the dough, enclosing the filling & making a flat, round cake.
Heat oven to 250 degrees.
In a 10 to 12 inch heavy skillet set over high heat melt 3 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons oil till hazy;.
Add half of the flat cakes & cover the pan.
Reduce heat to moderate and cook cakes about 10 minutes on each side and are crisp & brown.
Transfer to ovenproof platter and keep warm while you cook the other half of the cakes, adding remaining butter & oil to pan if needed.
Serve at once.