“I know a lot of people like to work with grams to make sure that it’s absolutely right. But I learned this from my grandma so I do things based on feel,” says James Beard Nominated Chef Bo Porytko. “This is my base recipe, and then I’ll add a little more flour or milk if I need to.”

How a James Beard Nominated Chef Makes Varenyky (Pierogi) Dough

Chef Bo Porytko

Total time: 70 minutes

Ingredients List

4 cups all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup of whole milk
8 oz unsalted butter
2 pinches of kosher salt

How to Make Dough for Varenyky (Pierogi)

Step 1

Add the flour to a large mixing bowl. Crack the eggs into a small bowl or container, and make sure there is no shell in with the eggs. Now add the eggs and the milk to the flour.

Step 2

Cut the butter into even sized cubes. Heat in a saucepan over medium high heat until the butter melts. You can stop here and use melted butter, or you can take it further and make brown butter. To make brown butter, you cook until the milk solids caramelize.

Step 3

Add the butter to the mixing bowl, and mix it in with a spatula as you pour. Once the butter is incorporated you can use your hands. You don’t want to over knead the dough, because we want it to be soft and pillowy. You can add a little more flour if you need to to help pick everything up.

Step 4

Add some flour to your counter or work surface and transfer the dough onto the flour. Knead the varenyky dough a little more until the surface is smooth and there are no sticky parts. Wrap in plastic wrap and let the dough rest for an hour to hydrate.

Step 5

After an hour, you can cut off a portion of the dough and roll out as Chef Bo demonstrates in this video. Then cut into circles with ring molds or a wine glass. Then you can add your filling, seal, and cook your varenyky!