"Does Flour Curdle?"

“Does flour curdle”? I wondered. It seemed to make sense as I made yet another batch of pierogy dough. One one occasion, adding very hot water to a sifted mound of flour seemed to make the flour mixture look curdled. “What if using simply warmer than warm water was all that it took to achieve perfection”? And so my new and famous dough came to be.

My pierogy dough is exceptional now. Relentless experimentation, over decades, with perfecting this simple silly dough has made the Momsey very happy. Just the other day. I made pierogies again- over a hundred within a week when time allowed. I gauged my time, using 3 potatoes then squeezed the contents  of a jar or two of the fermented cabbage then I began with excitement. To those companies who play with their eating audience, I win here. 

It is power we feel when what we do in the kitchen makes us, our family - both animal and human -  happy and healthy and maybe wealthy, both in the short and long term. We all want healthy food whether buying it 'ready made' or making it homemade. TheMomsey is no different. To answer my opening question. Yes, I believe flour does curdle. I think I saw it happen the other day when I added boiling water to a small mound of flour. It was an awakening moment for me. (Be careful with all hot liquids.) When you least expect it, the next step can result in a new lesson.

I continued to use the 'curdled' dough that day. It was a seeming bumpy mass but I chose to use it anyway. Even cutting out the circles to make my pierogies that day seemed off. I added cold water to make my 'scalded' dough easier to handle rather then waiting for the dough to cool off. It would take too long. Time stands still for no one. I learned another lesson.

Long, long ago, my dear mother-in-law ate my pierogies one day. She was kind, having removed the outer edges of these delicious parcels. They were tough as nails. I was experimenting again that day working towards perfection. I wanted to please her not disappoint her. That was the last time those kitchen delicacies were offered. I was not happy. My dough improved but there was still something missing. It is called the perfect recipe. It was discovered because of numerous attempts at perfection. Simple is sometimes all it takes to create perfection. Never give up.

Sift Italian 00 Flour + warm water = dough, using a simple fork. Mix. Let dough rest then remove a small amount of it from small bowl onto floured board. A bench scraper handles dough on floured board till it is ready to be rolled easily. Add as little flour as possible as you go. Handle only as needed. Practice makes perfect. If in doubt, ask a child to help you. I do.