Pierogi (Perogy) (Pedaha) Dough And Potato Cheddar Cheese Filling
Growing up in northern Ontario I have many fond memories of skiing, skating and winter carnivals. One of the best food-related memories is of my mom and her friends making roast pans full of pierogis to sell during our community winter carnival. You see, they would make them a month in advance and freeze them in roast pans until they were needed. Well, sneaky me would come home from school and chip off a couple of those delicious pierogis and eat them as a snack. (Christmas baking was not safe in the freezer either.) Well my mom caught on to me quickly and so enlisted me to be part of the production line any time pierogis were made, and it is one of the greatest recipes Mom ever taught me. Now, it is a tradition for me and my girls to make these every Christmas season. Thanks Mom!
YIELD : 72 large pierogies
Equipment
- two or more flat baking sheets
- wax paper to line the baking sheets
Ingredients
Pierogi dough:
- ½ cup oil vegetable or canola
- 1 large egg slightly beaten
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups water you will likely only need 1¾ cup of this water for the dough
Cheddar potato filling:
- 4 pounds potatoes peeled and chopped chunky
- optional - 2 large onions peeled and quartered
- 1 -400g cheddar cheese grated
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder this is optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
To make the cheddar potato cheese:
- Peel 4 pounds of potatoes and cut into chunky pieces. Rinse the potatoes with cold water, to the remove starch. Add them to an 8-litre pot and fill with water. Add some kosher salt (1 tablespoon) and bring to a boil. (Note: you can also add two quartered or halved onions which you will remove after boiling.)
- While the potatoes are boiling, grate one 400g block of old cheddar cheese.
- When the potatoes are done, if using, remove the onions. Mash the potatoes and, while hot, add the grated cheddar cheese. Continue to mash until the cheese is incorporated.
- If using, add ½ teaspoon of garlic powder. Add ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Continue to mash the potatoes and cheese mixture to distribute the seasonings.
- Leave in the pot until completely cool. Use immediately, or refrigerate overnight.
To make the pierogi dough:
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg.
- To the flour mixture, add the egg, the oil and 1½ cups of the water. Using a spoon, mix the ingredients until combined.
- Start mixing the dough with your hands. Add a little bit of water while pressing the dough together. When the mixture forms into a ball that is slightly tacky, you can stop adding water.
- Knead dough until smooth. This you can do for about 3-5 minutes. (The dough may feel tough but it will relax into a soft ball after it rests.)
- Oil the bowl or the dough ball slightly, and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with cellophane (saran wrap) or a lid. You do not want the dough to dry out. Let rest for 15-20 minutes. This will allow the dough to relax and will make it easier to roll out the dough.
To assemble the pierogis:
- Divide the dough in half or in thirds and, on a well floured surface, roll out each piece to â…›" thickness. (If you roll out half of the dough, be prepared to roll the dough into a 20"x22" square to get the desired thickness.)
- Using a 3½" round cookie cutter cut out rounds.
- Add a heaping tablespoon of the cool potato cheese filling, shaped slightly cylindrical, in the centre of each round. Wet the edges with a bit of water, fold and press to seal.
- Place each pierogi on a baking sheet that is lined with wax paper, and lightly floured. When you have a baking sheet that is full, put it in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Once the pierogis are frozen, you can remove from the baking sheet, put them in freezer bags and store in the freezer.
To cook:
- For cooking 2 dozen pierogis, bring a large heavy bottomed pot (12-litre) filled halfway with water to a full boil. Boil until the pierogis float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and put in a casserole dish with melted butter.
- I like to layer my cooked pierogis with melted butter, crispy fried bacon and onions.
Video
Notes
It takes me about 1½ hours to assemble 6 dozen pierogis when I make them by myself. When I have my daughters help me, we get the job done in less than a hour.
Nutrition
Serving: 1-pierogiCalories: 74kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 44mgPotassium: 124mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 4IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
I want to try this…hope it turns out as well as your moms!!
Hi. Is your family Ukrainian?
My baba was raised in northern Ontario as well.
The ingredients are the same as my family recipe but the process is different. We cut/full one pierogi at a time, and keep them covered with a clean cloth as we go along.
Thank you for posting your freezing method, I will definitely try that! Happy cooking!
Yes, my mother was Ukrainian and I am grateful to have grown up in Northern Ontario where there was a strong Ukrainian cooking influence. Regarding covering the perogies or not as you make them, it is a great tip especially if you have doubled or tripled this recipe, as it will keep them from drying out. However, I do find when making this recipe as stated, it doesn’t take long to fill each baking sheet, and if placed immediately in the freezer, there really isn’t a lot of time for the perogies to dry out. Dyakuyu i pryyemnoho pryhotuvannya!(Thank you and happy cooking!)
Do you know how to make wheat? My Grandmother was Ukrainian and she would soak wheat, add poppy seed and honey, I sure wished I would of paid attention more. I absolutely loved it.
Hi, I think the recipe that you are looking for is called “Kutya” or “Kutia”. The one I am familiar with is to put one cup of washed wheat kernels in a heavy saucepan. Add 2-3 cups of water. Cover and simmer until wheat is tender. Add some salt to taste. Soak one half a cup of poppy seeds in warm water for one half hour. Drain and then grind them very fine. Add them to the wheat and add honey and serve. You can also add in walnuts or raisins. You can also cook the wheat in milk for a richer flavour. Hope this is the recipe you were looking for.
It’s simple. I’m not even sure you need a recipe but you can probably find one by googling. You just have to wash the wheat, cook it in water that’s probably an inch above the top of the wheat. Keep an ion it so it doesn’t run dry and taste it periodically until it’s tender. Once tender, add your flavourings, whether it be banana or poppyseeds with some honey.