One of the most common mistakes with pierogi is treating the dough like pasta dough and kneading it to death. Overworking pierogi dough causes it to become too elastic and resist holding its shape, shrinking back when stretched. In a video with Munchies, food author Emily Fender says the ideal texture for pierogi-style dumpling dough is soft and malleable.

To make pierogi dough, begin by combining the dry ingredients, which are typically flour and a pinch of salt. Then, depending on the desired yield, combine the wet ingredients, which are usually water or milk, and one or more eggs. Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients to form a shaggy dough. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add flour; if it is crumbly, add liquid. Knead the dough until it is pliable enough to roll out into a sheet and has a slight elasticity. Allow at least 15 minutes for the dough to rest. Roll the dough into a sheet thick enough to hold the filling without bursting. Cut the dough into discs using a biscuit cutter or tumbler glass, add the filling, fold in half, and pinch the edges together to form a closed pocket.

Although the first pierogi dough recipes did not use eggs, most modern recipes do. The egg provides protein and fats that help the dough maintain its structure, but too much egg can result in a tough dough. If you use a tough, eggy dough, it will cook hard and taste bitter. If you suspect that you used too much egg in your dough, you can still fix it. Add a few drops of milk or water at a time until the dough softens. If your dough becomes too wet, add some flour.

It's difficult to add less than a whole egg to your pierogi dough if you think it needs more structure. Unfortunately, eggs are pre-portioned, which makes scaling down recipes more difficult. Because cooking is more forgiving than baking, it is perfectly acceptable to crack an egg into a bowl, whisk it, and measure out half an egg (or a quarter) as accurately as possible.

Many people, including the self-proclaimed Polish Chef on YouTube, use water to bind together their pierogi dough, but water doesn't add much flavor. It's fine if you think of pierogi dough as a vehicle for delicious fillings. However, if you want your dough to be more than a placeholder, consider using milk to make your pierogi. It is important to note that there is a slight trade-off when substituting milk for water. Milk adds richness to the dough, but its fat and proteins can make it slightly sticky. Using water, on the other hand, produces a pliable, easy-to-work-with dough.

Milk also adds sweetness in the form of lactose, making it a better choice for pierogi with a sweet filling. Instead of milk, some pierogi recipes include dairy in the form of sour cream or butter. If you use one of these more solid forms of dairy, you may want to add water to ensure your dough has the proper amount of moisture. Surprisingly, the juice from onions is used as part of the liquid component in a Lithuanian version of pierogi.

Pierogi has the appearance of a simple food item, which may lead you to believe that they are simple to prepare. They aren't difficult to make, but the process can be time-consuming. Traditional Polish cooks will set aside many hours, if not an entire day, to make pierogi, so don't expect to whip these up in a couple of hours.

Making dozens or hundreds of pierogi is a holiday season tradition for many American families with Eastern European ancestors. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that one typical gathering began at 9 a.m., with doughnuts and coffee as the fuel of choice. By 11 a.m., that valuable fuel had been replaced with bottles of Miller Lite and shots of whiskey. By 4 p.m., the 28-member family production crew had created 701 pierogi in five different flavors, as well as countless memories. Families that make a large quantity of pierogi for the holidays usually boil them before freezing them.

Pierogi require a lot of work, from making the stuffing to folding the dumplings, so it's extremely frustrating when one of them bursts open while you're trying to boil it. When you overcook your pierogi, this is more likely to happen. Many pierogi recipes will instruct you to cook them in hard boiling water. Very hot water will quickly cook your pierogi, but it's a bit of a high-wire act. Carolyn Beans, an NPR science writer, discovered through trial and error that lowering the heat after the pierogi have been dropped into the water makes it easier to avoid overboiling.

According to the Mashed pierogi recipe created in collaboration with food blogger Alexandra Shytsman, you should boil your pierogi in batches, filling the pot about 34 percent full each time. It's fine if the pierogi touch as they cook, but they should have enough space to separate. Freshly made pierogi usually take about three minutes to boil.

Some may argue that pierogi can only be filled with a few traditional ingredients, such as potatoes, cheese, and sauerkraut. However, even in Poland, authentic pierogi are made with a variety of ingredients, and regional favorites vary. Pierogi stuffed with salmon or fried spinach is popular in northern Poland, while pierogi stuffed with a combination of bacon, buckwheat, and mint are popular in eastern Poland, according to Culture Trip.

Some Americans have taken an irreverent approach to pierogi, perhaps influenced by food shows like Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, creating countless mash-ups that take influence from other cuisines. According to The Buffalo News, modern pierogi have included takes on tacos, samosas, Big Macs, and Buffalo's classic Beef on Weck sandwich at the annual Dozynki Polish Harvest Festival in Buffalo, New York. When it comes to pierogi, there's clearly room for both purists and want to be Guy Fieris.

Pierogi are traditionally served with few toppings, such as melted butter, sour cream, or sautéed onions. However, this does not preclude the addition of sauce or other toppings to a plate of pierogi. In fact, the simple flavor profile of pierogi leaves plenty of room for experimentation. The type of topping you use should be determined by whether your pierogi are savory or sweet.

According to Polonist, simply combining sour cream with chopped herbs such as dill or chives can result in a delicious savory pierogi sauce. For savory pierogi, Tasting Poland suggests pork scratchings, a roux-based gravy, or bacon bits. Simple is best when it comes to sweet pierogi sauce. Polonist suggests that you use sweetened cream, honey, or fruit sauce. The chocolate sauce could also be used. In fact, one restaurant in Krakow, Poland, serves chocolate-dipped strawberry pierogi.

When cooking dumplings, including pierogi, one of the most common mistakes is trapping excess air when folding them. Always try to get the feeling as close to the seal as possible when sealing pierogi. If you don't, any trapped air will expand during the cooking process and cause the dumpling to burst open.

Before you start sealing your pierogi, dampen one-half of the circumference with a wet finger or a wet paper towel. This should aid in the formation and maintenance of an effective seal (via Tasting Poland). Then, fold your dough disc in half to form a half-moon shape. Begin pinching the pierogi closed from the center of the edge and work your way to one corner, taking care not to trap air as you go. Then, pinch the other half of the pierogi closed. Some people like to make a more decorative secondary seal by twisting and repressing the first seal to make it look braided.

It's not just disappointing to cut into a steaming hot, fruit-filled pierogi and have juice squirt out; it's also a little dangerous. Berries, apples, and other fruits contain a significant amount of water, which is released when the fruits are cooked. As a result, if you're making fruit-filled pierogi, you should take precautions to prevent the filling from becoming runny.

There are a few things you can do, just like with runny pie filling, to keep your pierogi fruit filling from releasing too much liquid. The first step is to ensure that you have sufficiently precooked your fruit to release the majority of the moisture. Following that, you can use any of a variety of thickening agents. Thickeners such as corn starch, gelatin, flour, or tapioca, according to Science of Cooking, will increase the viscosity of a liquid without significantly changing its flavor. Cornstarch is commonly used by cooks and bakers because it works quickly and produces a pleasing translucent sauce. In fact, Martha Stewart prefers cornstarch as a thickener.

Poles make pierogi for the holidays in the same way that Italians make panettone and Greeks make baklava, and they play an important role in the traditional, meatless Christmas Eve dinner known as Wigilia. The meal includes 12 different courses, one for each of Jesus' apostles. Typical dishes include red borscht, mushroom soup, various types of fish, sauerkraut, cabbage rolls, gingerbread, fruit compote, and poppyseed cake, in addition to pierogi.

Pierogi are typically made several weeks ahead of time and frozen. Because this is a meatless meal, it's best to make your pierogi meatless for this meal if you want to follow tradition. On Christmas Eve, frozen pierogi are usually taken out of the freezer and dropped into a pot of salted boiling water, which is probably the best way to cook frozen pierogi. After the previously frozen pierogi begin to float, they are boiled for a few minutes longer. Many people will then brown and crisp the pierogi in a sauté pan with butter, adding flavor and a nice texture contrast.