Basic Pirog Dough Recipe – is the base to a tart, slab-pie, or even cookies that you can then sandwich with jam. This Russian-style pie dough is as versatile as it is easy.

Growing up this Basic Pirog Recipe was used pretty frequently at our house. As versatile as it is and being made with all the staples you usually have in the kitchen, my mom made Pirog with all kinds of fillings.

In the summer she would make it with plums, apricots or tart cherries. In the fall she would make it with shredded, sliced or diced apples. And in the winter she would make it with plum butter and roasted walnuts.

What is a Pirog anyway, you might ask?

Well, there are a couple of things that could be referred to as Pirog in Russian – it could be a coffee cake, a tart, a yeast dough pastry or a slab pie sort of cake. In our house, when someone said Pirog, it meant a slab-pie-type of dessert.

Russian Pirog is made with a base that resembles a leavened shortbread cookie. Sometimes the slab-pie-like Pirog is topped with meringue which gets a quick blitz in the oven to give it that Pavlova-like crust on the outside and marshmallowy soft inside.

Dress it up, or dress it down

Simple enough to make for a weeknight dessert, yet stunning enough to serve to your guests, this Basic Pirog Dough Recipe is a must-have in your recipe repertoire. Learn how to make this crust and now you have a base for countless fillings.

How’s Pirog Different from an American Pie?

Unlike the American pie crust, this Pirog crust recipe is super simple, virtually fool-proof and requires no special skills. If you’ve got a set of hands, whisk, bowl and a handful of ingredients – you can make it!

Flavor-wise it’s a cross between a pie and a shortbread crust.

Strawberries and rhubarb are in season. Guess what’s coming to the blog soon? 😉

Basic Pirog Dough Recipe

Yield: One 12 in x 17 in Pirog with dough only as the base
One 9in x 13 in Pirog with base and lattice on top OR
Two 9.5 inch round pirogy’s

Ingredients for Basic Pirog Dough: 

• egg yolks
• granulated sugar
• room temperature butter (2 sticks)
• sour cream
• vanilla
• baking powder
• baking soda
• vinegar
• all-purpose flour

How to make Basic Pirog Dough Recipe:

With a whisk in a large bowl whisk together 2-3 egg yolks, 3/4 cups sugar and 2 sticks room temperature butter until smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
*Tip: use a mixer with a whisk attachment to speed up the process*

Add 1/4 cups sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla,

then combine the 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tablespoons vinegar and add them as well. Lastly, add the 2 tsp of baking powder and whisk until smooth again.

Add 2.5 cups flour and mix together with a spoon, then with your hands. Gently knead the dough to bring it together.

Add another 1/2 a cup or so to make a soft dough that does not stick to hands.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour for best results, or use right away.

How to use the dough:

To make pirog that would have just the pirog base, filling and then topped with meringue use a 12 in x 17 inch baking sheet and spread the filling evenly along the bottom of the pan.

If you would like it to have lattice covering the filling then use a 9 in x 13 in cake pan and use only 2/3 of the dough for the base and 1/3 of the dough for the lattice.

To spread the dough along the bottom of the pan you can use your own hands or the bottom of the measuring cup.

With this portion of the dough, you can also make two 9.5 inch round pirogy’s.

If you are making a pirog with a filling that is somewhat runny you shape the dough as a tart to prevent the filling from spilling and burning the bottom of the crust.

It might be easier to line the dough with plastic wrap and then use a measuring cup to press down the dough into the base.

The dough can be refrigerated up to 3 days before baking.

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Basic Pirog Dough Recipe

5 from 3 votes

A classic Russian pie dough made with basic ingredients, great for pies, tarts, cookies and other desserts.

Author: Marina | Let the Baking Begin!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Ukrainian

Keyword: pirog dough

Calories: 310 kcal

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 16 One 12 in x 17 in pirog with dough only as the base One 9in x 13 in pirog with base and lattice on top OR Two 9.5 inch round pirogy's

Ingredients

Pirog Dough Ingredients

• 2-3 egg yolks
• 3/4 cups sugar, granulated
• 1 cup butter, unsalted, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 Tbsp vinegar
• 2.5 - 3 cups 440 g - all purpose flour

Instructions

How to make Pirog Dough

1. With a whisk in a large bowl whisk together 2-3 egg yolks, 3/4 cups sugar, and 2 sticks room temperature butter until smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. *Tip: use a mixer with whisk attachment to speed up the process*, add 1/4 cups sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla, then combine the 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tablespoons vinegar and add them as well. Lastly, add the 2 tsp of baking powder and whisk until smooth again.

2. Add 2.5 cups flour and mix together with a spoon, then with your hands. Gently knead the dough to bring it together. Add another 1/2 a cup or so to make a soft dough that does not stick to hands.

3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour for best results, or use right away.

How to use the Pirog Dough

1. To make Pirog that would have just the Pirog base, filling and then topped with meringue use a 12 in x 17-inch baking sheet and spread the filling evenly along the bottom of the pan.

2. If you would like it to have lattice covering the filling then use a 9-inch x 13-inch cake pan and use only 2/3 of the dough for the base and 1/3 of the dough for the lattice.

3. To spread the dough along the bottom of the pan you can use your own hands or the bottom of the measuring cup.
4. With this portion of the dough, you can also make two 9.5 inches round pirogy's. If you are making Pirog it with a filling that is somewhat runny you can make a dough border to prevent the filling from spilling and burning the bottom of the crust. It might be easier to line the dough with plastic wrap and then use a measuring cup to press down the dough into a base.

Recipe Notes

The dough can be refrigerated up to 3 days before baking.

Nutrition Facts

Basic Pirog Dough Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 310 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Cholesterol 57mg19%

Sodium 146mg6%

Potassium 120mg3%

Carbohydrates 43g14%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 409IU8%

Calcium 44mg4%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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