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I’ve been meaning to make vareniki with plums for a long, long, long, long time. I halved my recipe for pelmeni dough. Why? (1) It’s blazing hot outside and I didn’t want to spend half the day making these. (2) I suspect hot days make me lazy. (3) I wanted to go shopping ;).
Admittedly my pierogi are, well, ugly and at times a little frumpy, but they sure taste good. Plum vareniki are quite a treat; sweet inside and out. This was my favorite food growing up and it always brings back sweet memories. My mom always made the best plum vareniki and this recipe is hers.
Ingredients for Plum Vareniki Dough:
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 Tbsp sour cream
1 cup warm water
1 large egg
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups plus 3 Tbsp all-purpose, unbleached flour
Ingredients for Plum Vareniki Filling:
1 lb sweet plums, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sugar
How to Make Plum Vareniki:
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together 1/3 cup buttermilk, 1/2 Tbsp sour cream, 1 cup warm water, 1 large egg, and 1 tsp salt, just until well blended. Note: you could do all of this by hand, but who would want to?
2. Using the dough hook attachment, add in 2 cups flour and mix on speed 2 until well incorporated.
3. Add in your remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, half a cup at a time, allowing each addition to become well incorporated before adding more. Allow the dough to mix for 15 minutes, then add more flour 1 Tbsp at a time until your dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Continue mixing another 5 minutes. Total mixing time from the time you first add flour is 20-25 min. (You could use this time to learn a new hobby, check your facebook page or be productive and slice your plums ;)). Your dough will be elastic and feel sticky, but won’t stick to your fingers.
4. Cover dough with plastic wrap until ready to use.
5. Cut off about a gum ball of dough at a time and roll into a flat 3-inch circle sprinkling with flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your work surface or the rolling pin.
6. Place two slices of your plum over half of your dough, being careful not to get plum juice on the edges of the dough or it won’t stick together. Pour 1/2 tsp sugar over your plums (use more or less depending on how sweet/tart your fruit is). Bring the two sides together and pinch tightly to seal the edges. Transfer to a well-floured cutting board.
7. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 3/4 Tbsp salt. Carefully place finished pierogi in boiling water. Add them in batches (maybe 1/4 at a time). Wait for them to float back too the top and then give them another minute to cook. Pull them out with a slotted spoon and drain well. Drizzle sugar in between layers of cooked pierogi to keep them from sticking to each other. The sugar will melt over the hot pierogies and turn into a light syrup. Serve with sour cream or eat them as is.
Plum Vareniki (Plum Pierogies)
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How to Make Plum Vareniki:
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In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together 1/3 cup buttermilk, 1/2 Tbsp sour cream, 1 cup warm water, 1 large egg, and 1 tsp salt, just until well blended.
-
Using the dough hook attachement, add in 2 cups flour and mix on speed 2 until well incorporated.
-
Add in the rest of your remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour, half a cup at a time, allowing each addition to become well incorporated before adding more. Allow the dough to mix for 15 minutes, then add more flour 1 Tbsp at a time until your dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Continue mixing another 5 minutes. Total mixing time from the time you first add flour is 20-25 min. Your dough will be elastic and feel sticky, but won’t stick to your fingers.
-
Cover dough with plastic wrap until ready to use.
-
Cut off about a gumball of dough at a time and roll into a flat 3-inch circle sprinkling with flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your work surface or the rolling pin.
-
Place two slices of your plum over half of your dough, being careful not to get plum juice on the edges of the dough or it won’t stick together. Pour 1/2 tsp sugar over your plums (use more or less depending on how sweet/tart your fruit is). Bring the two sides together and pinch tightly to seal the edges. Transfer to a well-floured cutting board.
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Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 3/4 Tbsp salt.
-
Carefully place finished pierogies in boiling water. Add them in batches (maybe 1/4 at a time). Wait for them to float back too the top and then give them another minute to cook. Pull them out with a slotted spoon and drain well. Drizzle sugar in between layers of cooked pierogies to keep them from sticking to each other. The sugar will melt over the hot pierogies and turn into a light syrup. Serve with sour cream or eat them as is.
What’s YOUR favorite vareniki filling?
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