How to Make a Knish

Whether you choose traditional potato, spinach, meat or cheese as the filling, knishes are a beloved Jewish delicacy –– and it's super easy to make them yourself.

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Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

How to Make a Knish

The dough for these traditional Jewish dumplings (their Yiddish name derives from the Russian or Ukrainian words for "dumpling") is easy to make in the food processor. It is very resilient, so you can pull and pinch it as much as necessary to wrap it around the generous amount of filling.


Click here for instructions on making the dough and preparing the spinach-potato filling, then click through to find out how to assemble the knishes. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly brush a baking sheet with oil. 

Get the Recipe: Spinach Potato Knish

Put the dough on a floured sheet of parchment and dust the top with flour. Stretch the dough into a 6-by-8-inch rectangle, then use a rolling pin to roll it into a 12-by-18-inch rectangle. Arrange the dough with one of the long sides of the rectangle facing you. Along the length of the dough, add the filling and shape it into a compact 14-by-2-inch log, leaving a 2-inch border of dough on the side closest to you and on each end. Use the parchment paper to help roll the dough around the filling, brushing off the flour as you roll and stretching the dough as needed to make a tight, dough-covered log. 

Pinch the dough closed along the center seam, then carefully turn the roll seam-side down on the parchment. Pull on the dough at each end of the log to twist and seal it closed; pinch off the excess dough. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, divide the log into 3 even sections, pressing down through the log to seal the segments. (The log will resemble 3 links of sausage.) 

With a sharp knife, cut through the divides and separate the links. Pinch the ends to ensure that each seal is secure. Cut each of the links in half crosswise to make 6 knishes total. Arrange the knishes cut-side up, pressing to flatten each into a disk about 1 1/2 inches thick.

Arrange the knishes on a baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake 30 minutes; liberally brush the knishes all over with oil and continue baking until golden, 25 to 35 minutes more. Serve with mustard. 

Get the Recipe: Spinach Potato Knish

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