Pierogi Ruskie (Authentic Potato and Cheese Pierogi) + video

Make the dough:

1. Add the flour and salt into a large bowl, and stir together.
2. In a small saucepan, warm the water with butter until they are very hot, but not boiling (temperature should be around 80-90 °C / 176-194 °F, that is when the water starts to move and steam).
3. Pour hot water with butter into the bowl with flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until roughly combined.
4. 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).
5. Wrap the kneaded dough in plastic foil (so it doesn’t dry out), and leave to rest for about 30 minutes (it will be easy to roll out).

Make the filling:

1. Boil the potatoes in a pot of salted water until soft enough to mash. Drain and mash the potatoes, transfer to a large bowl, and set aside to cool.
2. Dice the onions. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and cook the onions over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes until translucent.
3. Combine the potatoes with cheese and onions, and season with salt and pepper to taste. You can do it with your hands or with a stand mixer (fitted with a flat beater attachment) or with a potato press (I have a blender with a potato masher attachment, it‘s great here).
4. Optional step: You can form the filling into balls – making the pierogi goes faster this way. This method is not great for every pierogi filling, but in this case, it’s perfect. I scoop the filling with an ice cream scoop, then divide it in half and form a ball, each about 1 1/2 inches (3.5 cm) in diameter, about 0.7 oz (20g) in weight. You can, of course, scoop the filling with a teaspoon – about 1 teaspoon for 1 pieróg. If the filling is not easy to form you can put it in the fridge for 30 mins.

Rolling out, stuffing and shaping:

1. Divide the dough into 4 parts.
2. On a lightly floured surface, thinly roll out the first piece of the dough, to a thickness of approx. 1/16 inch (2 mm). If the dough is hard to roll out, set it aside for about 5-10 minutes to rest.
3. Use a cup or a pierogi/pastry cutter to cut out rounds. (I also get a lot of questions about the pierogi cutter that is shown on the photos, it’s very old and 2 3/4 inches (7cm) in diameter!). Gather the scraps, cover them with plastic wrap, and set aside.
4. Place one ball of filling (about 1 heaped teaspoon) on each round.
5. 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. Optional: You can make a decorative edge – it’s shown in the video.
6. Place the pierogi apart on a floured surface and cover them loosely with a kitchen cloth so they don‘t dry out.
7. Repeat with the remainig dough.

Cook the pierogi:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. 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.
3. Drain well and transfer to a plate or baking sheet. Pour melted butter over pierogi so they don’t stick to each other.
4. Enjoy!