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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)
Ingredients
Instructions
- How to Make Plum Vareniki:
- 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.
- 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?
The dough turned out super wet and I had to add tons of flour to make it right. This recipe needs more flour initially!
HI Maya, did you use a different type of flour? Different flours have varying amounts of protein so you may need to adjust for that.
Natasha, I used all-purpose, unbleached flour of course I wouldn’t use bread flour for this. I normally make them with water in proportion 1 cup of water to 2 cup flour, 1 egg, salt. Decided this time to try with buttermilk and after seeing so many recipes I decided to try your recipe. Mistake. I ended up using so much more flour at least a 1 cup extra.
Can I double this dough recipe? Would I have to mix it double the time as well?
Hi Larisa, I always make a batch at a time, but if you double it, that may work! You will not need to double the time it takes to rise, but make sure it is doubled, so watch it closely.
I have frozen plum halves and would like to use these. Can you see a problem making perogies with these? I was also considering using frozen wild blueberries.
Hi Nadia, It’s a little more slippery and harder to work with, but it definitely can be done 🙂
Question: How long can the dough sit in the fridge before it must be used? Would 24 hours be too long? I
Hi Paula, for best results, I always use the dough right away. I find it the most pliable and easy to work with when it is at room temperature and freshly made. It can also form a film if refrigerated.
Would it be good to use Kefir instead of buttermilk with this recipe? Seems more Russian that way anyway lol!
Hi Sarah, kefir and buttermilk are usually pretty interchangeable. That should work. It’s just slightly thicker so you may need just a little less flour.
hi Natasha my family is from Ukraine, Mom is from Kharkov, dad from Ternopil , so different recipes for the same food, you can understand, My wife is from Hungary, they make a unique version of Vareniky, they season their Plum version with Cinnamom, Butter and Honey, served tepid, in late Summer , its a killer version, love your website, you deserve and should strive for a Food Channel show, God Bless You, Happy Easter, Christos Voscress!
That’s so nice of you, Julian. Thank you for your kind words and great feedback. Happy Easter to you and your family too!
I can’t wait till summer to have apricot vareniky. They are the best !My mum also used to make some with grated apple but the apricot ones are my favourite.I have never had any with plums but I will try to make them by your recipe. I also make varenily with mashed potato, fried onion and fried bacon and served with sour cream. I too have Ukrainian heritage and am married to a Hungarian. Thankyou for your wonderful recipes and delightful and informative videos.
You’re welcome, Martha! I too can’t wait for summer and all the amazing fruit and vegetables!
My grandmother came from Poland, and these are a fond childhood memory. She added cinnamon with the plum and sugar, though. And a yummy, though strange, topping. She toasted saltine cracker crumbs in a frying pan with butter, added a little sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkled this on the hot plum pierogi. I made some recently- it was amazing-just like grandma used to make. Thank you for sharing your family recipes!
Sounds amazing! I’m sure your grandmother was an awesome cook. Thank you for sharing that with us and I’m glad these recipes bring back good family memories.
I was raised on Italian Plum Vereniki in a Mennonite home. we have maintained my mothers recipe of putting a half plum in each vereniki with a teaspoon of 50/50 icing sugar and corn starch in each plum stone divot. This makes a thickened sauce in each Vereniki. We eat them with salty smokey Fried ham or smoked sausage and a Cream gravy made with the drippings , butter and Whipping cream.
That sounds delicious! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Bill!