Gluten-Free Pierogi Dough

Polish dumplings (Pierogi)

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Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Rest Time: 30 mins
Total: 70 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Yield: 48 pierogi

This gluten-free pierogi dough recipe allows you to enjoy pierogi even if you are eliminating gluten from your diet. Fill these pierogi with your favorite gluten-free filling, such as sauerkraut and mushroom.

This recipe calls for a commercially available all-purpose gluten-free flour, without using a binding agent such as xanthan gum. It works like a charm, although you might have to play with the amount of flour and water you use. The resulting dough is a little gritty and dense, but it beats not being able to have pierogi at all.

Half-moon-shaped dumplings filled with everything from savory to sweet fillings are common to many Eastern European communities. Poles call them pierogi, Ashkenazi Jews have kreplach and knishes, Russians have pelmeni and piroshki, and Ukrainians call them varenyky.

Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour, plus more if the dough is too wet for rolling

  • 1 large egg

  • 2 tablespoons oil

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups warm water

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine flour, egg, oil, salt and 1 1/4 cups water. Mix until well combined. If dough is too wet and sticky, add more flour. If dough is too thick, add more water. Mix thoroughly until a soft, pliable mass results.

  3. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Alternatively, put it in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

  4. Dust two sheets of parchment paper with gluten-free flour. Roll the dough between the sheets of parchment paper to a 1/16-inch thickness.

  5. Using a 3-inch diameter circle cutter or glass, cut rounds of dough. Add a dollop of your favorite filling on one half of the round, fold it over, and pinch the edges together. Place the filled dough circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover the pierogi with plastic wrap while you continue to roll, cut and fill.

  6. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Reduce the heat slightly so the water is just under a rolling boil.

  7. Drop about 10 pierogi at a time into the water, stirring so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. When they float to the top, cook for an additional 5 minutes.

  8. Use a skimmer or slotted spoon to remove the pierogi to a buttered platter. Warm the pierogi in melted butter and serve. You can brown the pierogi in a skillet, if you like, but they might get a little too tough that way.

  9. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Variation

Many gluten-free pierogi recipes call for mixing flour and gums like xanthan and guar, and other binding agents to improve the elasticity and stickiness of the dough. You can experiment with the use of xanthan gum (1 teaspoon per cup of flour for a pasta) to make the product lighter. In this case, that would mean adding 4 1/2 teaspoons of xanthan gum to the flour in this particular recipe.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
129 Calories
6g Fat
16g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 129
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 7%
Saturated Fat 1g 3%
Cholesterol 31mg 10%
Sodium 720mg 31%
Total Carbohydrate 16g 6%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 10mg 1%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 34mg 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.)