Varenyky (Perogy) Dough
Traditional Ukrainian Perogy Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour hr
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Ukrainian, Western European
- 1 ½ Cups water (hot but not boiling) *reserved potato water is the best
- 3 Tbsp. cooking oil (or butter, melted)
- 1 egg
- 4½ cups flour
- 1 tsp. salt
Combine (warm-hot) water, oil (or butter) and egg and blend well. Then add flour and salt. Knead dough, adding the last cup of flour until smooth and soft. Put in a lightly-oiled bowl, and cover. Let dough rest for 20 minutes.
Roll out on a floured surface (split the dough into manageable portions and keep the remaining covered if you prefer to work with smaller amounts). Roll out thinner than you would for a pie crust, and cut out with a round cookie cutter into 2 - 2½ " circles. Put approximately a tsp. of your prepared filling on each circle. Fold over forming a half circle and pinch the edges together with your fingers to seal in the filling. Place perogy on a clean tea dry towel (if using parchment lined baking sheet then add flour to the top of the parchment otherwise they will stick) while making them.
Drop into a pot of boiling water (or freeze for later). Do not cook too many at a time. Stir with a wooden spoon a few times to prevent sticking to the bottom. When cooked they will float to the top, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a colander to drain thoroughly. Place in a a deep dish and sprinkle generously with melted butter. Toss very gently to coat the varenyky evenly with butter and prevent them from sticking. You can also fry them once they've boiled.If freezing, then place perogies (verenyky) on a parchment lined baking sheet which has been lightly dusted with flour to prevent sticking, and freeze for 2 hours or overnight. Once frozen, place perogies in freezer bags for later use. Serve with sour cream and/or friend diced onions sautêd in butter until golden.
Perogy may be made in large quantity, refrigerated and reheated without any loss of quality.
They can be frozen easily. Place on parchment lined sheet pan which has been lightly dusted with flour, place entire pan in the freezer and freeze for an two hours or overnight, once frozen, place in a freezer bag and label for later use. Cook from frozen, do not thaw. Keyword Christmas Eve Supper, perogy, traditional, ukrainian, varenyky