Submitted by:
Laurel Curry
Category:
Dessert
Country of Origin:
Germany
Cook time:
1 hour
Serves:
25
Ingredients:
Filling:
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 pounds canned pumpkin (40 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Dough:
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5 cups flour; more if needed to roll without sticking
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup Crisco
Ingredients substitutions:
You can use 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice instead of the nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon if you'd like
Steps:
For the filling:
1. Combine all filling ingredients in bowl and mix well. Set bowl aside.
For the dough and final plachingkas:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and flour and mix well.
3. Add eggs and buttermilk to dry mixture, and cut in Crisco. Mix well into dough.
4. Roll dough into sheet of 1/5-inch thickness (or less).
Note: More flour can be added to dough, if necessary, to keep it from sticking.
5. Cut sheeted dough into 4-inch diameter circles (or a little more).
6. Place 1 tablespoon of filling into center of each circle.
7. Fold dough over filling to create a semi-circle (i.e., half moon shape) and seal dough with a fork dipped in flour.
8. Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until light brown.
What makes this recipe special?
These pumpkin-filled pastries were made by my maternal great-grandmother, Christine Scherer, who immigrated from Russia by way of Germany and settled in South Dakota. My family doesn't know whether they are of Russian or German origin, and the spelling is phonetic (pronounced "planchinchkas"). We have never met anyone else who has heard of them, so they're pretty special to our family. They can also be filled with chocolate.