makes ~50 pierogis
Prep Time
1 hour (30 minutes resting)
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 20 minutes
This is the best pierogi dough recipe around. The dough is soft, elastic, smells of butter and is easy to roll out.
400g all-purpose flour
280g water 280g
40g (3 tablespoons) butter or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
Make the dough:
Add the flour and salt into a large bowl, mix together.
In a small saucepan, warm the water with butter until they are very hot, but not boiling (temperature should be around 176-194 °F (80-90 °C) that is when the water starts to move and steam).
Pour hot water with butter into the bowl with flour, mix with a wooden spoon until roughly combined.
Knead the dough using your hands or with a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment, for about 5 minutes. A food processor can also be used (fitted with the dough blade). The dough should be smooth, soft, and elastic, it shouldn’t stick to your hands. When you follow the recipe (especially if you weigh the ingredients, instead of using measuring cups), the dough should be perfect, but if for some reason it’s not, add some water if it’s too dry, or a little bit of flour if it’s too wet. If the dough already forms a ball, is relatively smooth, but still tough, it means that it’s not ready, it must be further kneaded until soft and elastic (after resting time it will be even softer).
Wrap the kneaded dough in plastic foil (so it doesn’t dry out), leave to rest for about 30 minutes (it will be easy to roll out).
Rolling out, stuffing and shaping the pierogi:
Divide the dough into 4 parts.
Onto a lightly floured surface, roll out thinly the first piece of the dough, to a thickness of approx. 2 mm / 1/16 inch. If the dough is hard to roll out, set it aside for about 5-10 minutes to rest.
Use a cup or a pierogi/pastry cutter to cut out rounds. Place one ball of filling / 1 teaspoon of filling on each round.
Need an idea for fillings? Check out this link: www.everyday-delicious.com/pierogi-filling/
Gather scraps, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Fold the dough over the filling to create a half-moon shape. Press edges together, sealing and crimping with your fingers. Do not leave any gaps or pierogi may open during cooking.
Place the pierogi apart on a towel lightly sprinkled with flour (this is important, they can stick to the board), cover loosely with a kitchen cloth so that they don‘t dry out.
Repeat with the remaining dough.
Cook the pierogi:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Cook the pierogi in batches (for a 21 cm /8-inch pot I cook about 10-12 dumplings at a time). When they float to the water surface cook them for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the water with a slotted spoon. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the dough.
Drain well and transfer onto a plate. Serve warm, pour over some melted butter.
Enjoy!
Letting the dough rest for 30 minutes is super important...it will make the dough soft and easy to work with. Don't skimp time on this step.
This recipe can go a lot faster, if you have two people. One to roll and cut dough, and one to fill the pierogies.
Cooking time: will depend on the thickness of the dough. Cut one pieróg in half to see if the dough is cooked through. Cook the pierogi to your desired consistency. Some like them chewier and some very tender.
Dough to filling ratio: it’s very important but it’s also a matter of taste. I like my pierogi dough not too thin but also not very thick. Experiment what works best for you.
What to do with leftover dough: Cut it into thick strips and use it as pasta eg with soup. You can also fill the leftover dough with fruit with sugar.
How to store pierogi: To ensure that the cooked pierogi don‘t stick to each other, brush them lightly with melted butter or oil. Store in a tightly-closed container in the fridge for about 2 days. On the next day, it‘s best to pan-fry them with butter until golden.Freshly cooked pierogi taste best, so I usually do this: I prepare only the amount of pierogi that we are going to eat on a given day (about 14 per person). I wrap the rest of the dough tightly in plastic foil and put it in the fridge. I place the rest of the filling (or make filling balls from all of the filling) and also tightly wrap in plastic foil and put in the fridge. On the next day (or even on the third day) I’m preparing the rest of the pierogi. If I have more time and I’m making more pierogi in one batch, I freeze them or pan-fry then with butter the next day.After removing the dough from the fridge, it is good to slightly warm it up (leave it for about 15-30 minutes on the counter), it will be more elastic (this is optional). The next day the dough will be a little gray in color, but we don‘t mind that.
Pierogi in Poland are usually served on their own. The most popular toppings include:
melted butter
sour cream
crispy bacon
caramelized onions
skwarki – fried pork backfat
sweetened sour cream or whipped cream for sweet pierogi
The amount of pierogi: The amount of pierogi you’ll get from this recipe can vary greatly, based on how thin you roll the dough, and how bug your dough cutter is.
How to freeze pierogi:
Cooked pierogi: Place the pierogi apart on a tray that is sprinkled well with flour. Freeze until solid. Transfer to containers on plastic bags. Cook like fresh pierogi but take them out once they float to the water surface.
Uncooked pierogi: Note that not boiled raw pierogi are more likely to crack in a freezer than cooked pierogi. I most often freeze raw pierogi though. Place the pierogi on a tray / wooden board sprinkled well with flour (important, dumplings can easily stick to the tray and tear). Arrange the dumplings so that they do not touch each other. When frozen, transfer them into containers or plastic bags. I cook frozen dumplings just like fresh ones, with the difference that you can cook a smaller amount of them at a time, I cook max. 7-8 frozen pierogi at once (and about 10-12 fresh). When you drop too many frozen pierogi at once it will lower the temperature of the water too much and they will burst.
How to make pierogi dough softer?
Knead the dough well then let it rest before rolling it out. A good recipe is also important – add butter and hot (but not boiling) water to the dough.
How do you keep pierogi from sticking together?
Toss the hot, freshly cooked pierogi with butter or oil until coated on all sides.
Should I boil pierogies before freezing?
You can freeze cooked pierogi or uncooked pierogi. See the instructions above.
Do you thaw pierogi before cooking?
There’s no need to do that. You can throw frozen pierogi direct into boiling water.
How are pierogi traditionally served? What do you top pierogi with?
I like to keep it simple and just pour melted butter over them. Other options are: sauteed/caramelized onions, pan-fried bacon, chopped parsley. Sweet pierogi are often served with sweetened heavy cream/sour cream.
Can pierogi be baked?
Yes! You can wrap the filling in shortbread pastry and bake until golden. This kind of pierogi is not that popular but in some regions, people are making baked pierogi.
My pierogi are of different shape, despite using the same pierogi cutter. Why?
Your dough was probably not evenly rolled out. Thicker pierogi will be a bit bigger, also when you fill them with more filling. If the dough is of the same thickness you can cook the small and big pierogi the same way.
What to do with leftover dough:
Cut it into thick strips and use as pasta eg with soup.
Why is my pierogi dough tough?
It’s probably not well-kneaded, not rested or you’ve used cold water. It’s also possible that you’ve added too much flour – add more water until the dough is smooth and soft.
How thick should pierogi dough be?
It really depends on your preferences. I really dislike dough that is rolled out too thick. When the dough is thinly rolled out it literally melts in your mouth after you cook the pierogi.
How long do you knead pierogi dough for?
It will take a minimum of 5 minutes by hand and about 3 minutes in a stand mixer. It can take longer or shorter. You need to pay attention to the dough’ consistency – it should be smooth and soft (check out the video to see the consistency of the dough). It will be even softer when it’s rested.
Why is my pierogi dough too elastic?
The dough can be too elastic and shrink as you try to roll it out when it’s not rested. Make sure to rest the dough for about 20-30 minutes, then it should be easy to roll out. This is caused by gluten that is in every type of wheat flour.
#polish
www.everyday-delicious.com/the-best-pierogi-dough-recipe-how-to-make-the-best-pierogi-polish-dumplings/