Start to Finish: 30 minutes

Servings: 6

Difficulty: Moderate

Technique differentiates pierogi dough from other pastry dough. Polish pierogi dough uses standard ingredients -- flour, eggs, water and salt -- but the kneading technique, a combination of gently cradling and lifting the dough before dropping it on the work surface, gives it a supple texture unlike similar preparations. You can make this dough up to 24 hours ahead of making the pierogies.

• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1/4 cup warm water
  
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
  

Combine the wet ingredients and then stir in the flour using a fork, about 1/2 cup at a time. Add a pinch of salt. Stir the mixture until a loose, ragged dough forms.

Turn the pierogi dough out onto a floured work surface. Lifting the dough from the bottom, cradle it in your hands to form a loose ball and drop it back onto the work surface.

Repeat this gentle kneading process until the dough comes together, about 2 to 3 minutes. Dust your hands with flour as needed.

Let the dough sit out for 30 minutes to relax the gluten. At this point, you can wrap the dough and reserve it for later, or roll it into 1-inch balls and form the pierogies.

• Sour cream is optional, but it produces a more tender dough. Some traditional recipes use an equal amount of shortening as a substitute.
  
• Cook pierogies as soon as you fill them for best results.
• Find inspiration for pierogi fillings here.