Perfect Pierogi Dough
Polish pierogi dough is traditionally made vegan, as it doesn’t have any dairy in it. All it is, is flour water and a bit of oil. Very simple and economical, which was always very important in Polish cooking.
I find vegan pierogi dough quite delicate and fragile and actually prefer making it with the addition of an egg, like in this recipe. It makes the dough a bit denser but I found that I have less “blow-outs” while boiling and dumplings tend to stay a bit more solid. I roll my dough out very thin so it is important to me that it doesn’t fall apart. I called it a perfect pierogi dough, because it always comes out great for me. It is a bit loose but it keeps filling in well.
I encourage you to try both versions (vegan dough recipe here) and decide which works best for you. You can find the recipe for many pierogi filling in the PIEROGI & DUMPLINGS section or the RECIPE INDEX, here.
Perfect Pierogi Dough
Ingredients
- 3 c / 375 g of all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 egg
- 1 ¼ c / 300 ml of warm water
Instructions
Start by placing egg and salt in a bowl and whisking lightly.
Add flour and water. Mix until ingredients combine and form a dough ball. Knead only until well combined (about 2-3 minutes)
Notes
Freezing & Reheating Pierogi:
TO FREEZE: spread boiled and cooled pierogi on a baking sheet (not touching), and place in the freezer. After they are frozen, transfer to a zip-top bag.
TO REHEAT: place in a shallow pan with a bit of butter and a small splash of water. Heat covered on low until dumplings are hot (about 5 minutes), then uncover and brown on each side.
What’s your experience with dough?
Please leave me a comment below.
Happy cooking and smacznego my hungry friends!
Love,
Anna
I’ve never had a problem with blowouts when I’ve used only flower and water, it came out a little tough a couple times.. many places I read an egg makes the dough tough after cooking.. I’ve seen recipes use a little sour cream for the fat, have you tried?
My mother’s recipe called for as many eggs as you could afford, and that is same approach I use when making pasta. Sometimes my dough is a little tough, but I always believed that was because I worked too much flour into the dough, and re-rolled the scraps too many times. I will try this 1 egg recipe and see how I get on. I’m in Canada, and since I use recipes from around the world, I find that flour milling differs quite a bit (I know a couple of Snowbirds that take Canadian flour with them to Florida because American flour is so unreliable).
This is the same recipe my polish grandmother would use and our filling is cabbage with onions. So delicious every Christmas Eve!
I need a gluten free perogy.
Help
We have used wonton wrappers in a pinch. Some are made with rice flour.
I grew up making these since the 60’s along with other traditional Polish recipes. I learned from my mother and still make many of the dishes. Managed to get some of my grand mothers cook books. For the pierogi, I have experimented with many variations to overcome blow out, or to try to make them bigger. After all they’re delicious. Why eat a dozen when you can just make them larger and only have to fry up 6. For my dough I like to make pasta dough with Durum wheat flour which I mill my own. They can be rolled out thin and very durable. I now put my dough through a pasta roller on my KA and make a long sheet. then I put dollops of filling on the sheet and lay another sheet on top then cut them in rounds. Who says they have to be halfmoon? Cabbage, pork ribs and kielbasa in a Dutch oven seasoned with caraway low and slow in the oven is to die for. With fresh homemade French bread.
I use sour cream instead of water
Tried the recipe today and the dough is very easy to work with. I did have to add more flour though, next time I won’t add all the water at once. Might even try the sour cream instead of the water.
Hi Anna, Mark, and Hannah,
First off I would like to thank you VERY much for bringing your beautiful polish self and recipes to us!
I am lost without my polish mother, grandmother, and aunts…
I am the only sister in our family, who strives to keep our pierogies traditional and going. Plus- I want to learn ALL of the original recipes of polish foods/desserts/beverages.
Biggest search here has been trying so hard to find your photo and measurements of your dough board (made by your dad)… I have longed for one- my entire adult life and I’m now a partially disabled retired operating room nurse… lots of time on my hands and I want to eventually host some of my talent online as well.
But- could you please direct me to the pasta/dough board picture and dimensions?
It is in my wishlist to have any/all of your cookbooks -sometime soon.
Thank you so very much/ I look forward to continuing following you on your YouTube channel.
Sincerely,
Brenda
Hi Brenda! I can email you a photo of it, if you’d like. Pls email me at PolishYourKitchen@gmail.com😊
I am first generation Polish. I watch your YouTube videos often and enjoy them. I have a friendly suggestion to make. Where practical, I would like to see the number of servings your recipes make somewhere in the text, i.e. 3 cups of flower will make how many pierogi rounds? I obviously haven’t seen all your offerings, so if you have been doing so in other recipes, I apologize. Looking forward to more good things from you and Poland.
Good luck, take care, God Bless and Thank You for helping your neighbors.
Zenon Dewicki,
Peoria, Arizona
My family has eaten several pierogi with different stuffings. They have asked that I just make Farner’s Cheese (Twarog?) filling this year. What recipes do you have for just cheese filling? Sweet or Savory? Last year I used 19 pounds of cheese and could not find it in large blocks. I am going to try making it at home if I can obtain raw milk. Love your cookbooks and videos, even the ones that are like guided tours of Poland. Your husband is fun to see and listen to. I hope to travel to Poland in the next 18 months. I live in Massachusetts, USA. My grandmother was from Warsaw and she was an amazing cook and angel.
Hi Bill, please browse through the PIEROGI & DUMPLINGS section of the blog, I have recipes for sweet filling and savory, mixed with potatoes. Hope you find a perfect recipe for you.