Pierogi are Polish dumplings that can be stuffed with a variety of fillings like minced meat, sauerkraut, mushrooms, or even blueberries and strawberries. Potato or potato and cheese is always a classic. The dumplings are often served with caramelized onions, sour cream, or crispy pork like bacon.
This recipe is a simple combination of flour, eggs, water, and salt. You might need to add a little more water or a little more flour based on the humidity of the day, the weight of the flour, and other factors. The dough should not be so dry it is crumbly or so wet it is sticky.
Get the kids involved in this easy project by breaking it down into steps—make the dough one day, roll and fill another day, and cook yet another day. Filling and sealing the pierogi takes a little practice, but small hands can certainly mix,roll, and cut the dough. The younger you start them on their pierogi-making journey, the more adept they'll be at making them by the time they develop voracious teenage appetites.
Polish dumplings can be filled with sweet or savory ingredients. Traditional fillingsinclude minced cooked meat, sauerkraut with mushrooms, potatoes, seasonal fruits like blueberries and strawberries, buckwheat or millet, savory or sweetcurd cheese, and a potato-onion-cheese mixture known as pierogi ruskie.
Why Is My Pierogi Dough Tough?
A number of factors can affect the texture of your dough. Make sure you let the dough rest before rolling it out since that should help relax the gluten and make it more pliable. If your dough is still tough, it might need a little more water.
Is Pierogi Dough the Same as Pasta Dough?
While they are similar, they are very different doughs. Traditional pasta dough is made with finely milled semolina flour and a little chewier, while pierogi dough is made with all purpose flour and has a softer bite.
Tips for Making Pierogi Dough
- Pierogi dough can be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days or tightly wrapped and frozen for up to a few months. Let the dough sit on the counter for several minutes before rolling out.
- There's really no right or wrong in how you choose to fill your pierogi. These days, at the Kraków (Poland) Pierogi Festival, you'll see nontraditional things being stuffed into tender pockets of dough—everything from spinach to seafood to gourmet cheeses.
- Filled pierogi, raw or boiled, can also be frozen. Freeze on a parchment-lined baking sheet for a few hours before transferring to a freezer bag or airtight container.
- Use leftover pierogi dough to make Pennsylvania Dutch style chicken and dumplings.
What You'll Need To Make This Pierogi Dough Recipe
"This was a very easy dough to prepare, with only 3 basic ingredients plus water. I used about 9 1/2 ounces of flour, then a little more for mixing and rolling. The total dough weight was 15 ounces." —Diana Rattray
A Note From Our Recipe Tester
Ingredients
2 large room temperature eggs, beaten
1/3 cup lukewarm water, more as needed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups all-purpose flour, more as needed
Steps to Make It
Gather the ingredients.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 large room temperature eggs, 1/3 cup lukewarm water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Add 2 cups all-purpose flour all at once and mix with a wooden spoon until well moistened.
Knead the dough in the bowl until it is firm and well mixed.
Cover with an overturned bowl or loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes to 1 hour. This will allow the gluten you've developed in the mixing process to relax and make rolling the dough out much easier.
Or you can wrap the dough in plastic, refrigerate it, and work with it another day. Pierogi dough will last up to three days in the fridge. Make sure you let it come to room temperature before you start to roll it.
If using the dough immediately, divide it in half, wrap the other half in plastic, and set it aside. The next steps are toroll, cut, fill, and cook the pierogi.
What to Serve With Pierogi
Sautéed apples
Broiled tomatoes
Sour cream
Roasted vegetables
Boiled cabbage with bacon
- Dinner
- Side Dishes
- Polish Food
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
---|---|
123 | Calories |
1g | Fat |
24g | Carbs |
4g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings: 6to 8 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 123 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 1g | 1% |
Saturated Fat 0g | 1% |
Cholesterol 23mg | 8% |
Sodium 88mg | 4% |
Total Carbohydrate 24g | 9% |
Dietary Fiber 1g | 3% |
Total Sugars 0g | |
Protein 4g | |
Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
Calcium 9mg | 1% |
Iron 2mg | 9% |
Potassium 42mg | 1% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Recipe Tags:
- pierogi
- pierogi dough
- dinner
- eastern european