Allergen-friendly Pierogi


Cooking certain foods for a family tradition is a labor of of love, don’t you think? Having a special cake or a breakfast item that is always served at a holiday, can work such magic! (I’m looking at you, Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls!) The kiddos start to anticipate certain meals and that can help give structure and excitement to the event or season. That’s what I think at least.

One of those special foods that I grew up with and continue to cook for my family is pierogi. Who doesn’t love a little pocket of dough filled with cheesy potatoes or onions and mushrooms- drool inducing, right? Well, once my family started recognizing our numerous food allergies and sensitivities I wasn’t able to cook many of our traditional foods. While I’ve been able to adjust many of our recipes over the years, it wasn’t until recently that I was able to perfect a dairy free, gluten free, and egg free pierogi recipe worthy of making every year. It’s a delicious joy to have these back in our diet!   

Allergen Friendly Pierogi 

Prep time: varies 

Cook time: ~30 minutes 

Yield: 12-16

Equipment: dough scraper, cup (3 in across the top, rolling pin, standing mixer, medium sized pot, slotted spoon, cookie sheet, parchment paper. 

Ingredients

Dough

1 3/4 cup Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour

1 tsp fine sea salt 

1 cup warm water 

1 egg – Bobs Red Mill egg replacer 

2 tbsp olive oil 

Filling: (varies)

Potatoes: peeled and boiled 

Mushrooms; blended roughly into small bits

Salt

Pepper 

OR 

Sweet onion; diced as bitty as possible 

Potato; peeled and boiled 

Salt 

Pepper 

Instructions for the filling: 

Filling for the pierogis is really up to you! It can be fun to mix around flavors. My favorite is all fresh mushroom, no seasoning or anything. 

You will need about one cup of filling for this recipe, which is why exact measurements are not given because no one is going to boil half a potato. I usually make a little extra filling just in case… or double the recipe. Or triple it. Things can quickly get out of hand where pierogis are concerned.

For potato and mushroom pierogi: 

  1. Mash potato with a fork in a small bowl. Stir in mushrooms. 
  2. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Instructions for the dough: 

  1. Mix your egg replacer in a separate container, making sure that there are no lumps. 
  2. Combine the egg replacer and the rest of the dough ingredients in a stand mixer, mix on the lowest setting till the dough is sticking together and fully combined. The dough should be slightly sticky. If it is too dry add a tiny bit of water until you have the right consistency. 
  3. Divide the dough in half, set half aside. 
  4. Lightly dust a clean flat surface with gluten free flour and roll out one half of your dough- very gently, until it is about 1/4 inch thick. You may need to pat it flat first, as gluten free dough can be very fragile. 
  5. Cut circles out of the dough, using a cup about three inches across. It’s a good idea to twist the cup to make circles, rather than jiggling it. 
  6. To form the pierogi, take a circle of dough in your hand, and gently stretch it to about 1/8 of an inch thickness while forming more of an oval shape. This will be tricky but the thinner the dough the better. The oval shape will make it much easier to fill. 
  7. Scoop a tablespoon of filling into the oval of dough, and slowly pinch the pocket shut, starting at one end. It is critical that the pierogi is sealed. Pinch the dough shut  throughly. 
  8. Repeat steps 4-7 until all the dough is used up. Use a dough scraper to peel your scraps up and to roll out again. If your dough gets to dry it will crack while being rolled out. If that happens, wet your hands and work them through the dough and try again. If your dough is to wet, dust the surface and flip the dough through it till it reaches the right consistency. Use very small amounts of water and flour at a time, in order to not end up altering the recipe to much. 
a circle of dough cut out
the circle stretched to an oval. Notice that my dough is not smooth. It might have been a bit dry. I had to make sure it was well sealed by working with it a bit.
a heaping table spoon of filling. Try to fit as much as you can I to a pierogi without breaking the dough.
hello, yummy

Cooking the pierogi: 

  1. Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Gently place a few pierogi in the boiling water with a slotted spoon. 
  3. Boil each pierogi for no more than three minutes. 
  4. Remove and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
  5. Once you have a full sheet, bake your pierogis for 25 minutes flipping them half way through . This varies based on oven and type of gluten free flour used, so check them every five minutes. (For a convection oven reduce heat to 350)

Garnish with caramelized onions or enjoy them on their own. I hope you like them! 

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