For a while now, I’ve been on a mission to find the “perfect” kreplach dough. Of course my perfect might not be your perfect, but I’ve been looking for that white, plump, slightly chewy, doughy-dough that is not traditional pasta dough, and is not a pre-made dough. And let me tell you, it’s been harder than I thought!

Most recipes out there call for pre-made dough OR give a basic pasta dough recipe. I’ve used ravioli dough in the past, and i’ve also used wonton wrappers, both of which are excellent options. Making kreplach is fiddly and takes time as it is; why not take a shortcut with the dough? Go for it!

But if you want that same doughy texture I went looking for, give this recipe a try. I've made other doughs before, and during this hunt I tried multiple recipes and variations that I found online. The one that ticked all the boxes is by Pam Reiss and I found it on KosherEye. The dough is soft, pliable, easy to work with, and comes together quickly and easily. Pam has step-by-step pictures on her site, which I encourage you to check out.

If you do want to make your own dough and prefer a pasta/ravioli type dough, this one works very well.

I was also looking for a filling that more closely resembles the one I associate with kreplach. Just ground beef, I find too chunky, so here I’ve blitzed it down into a finer texture. But if you’re pressed for time, or just don’t care all that much (perfectly legitimate!), feel free to skip that step. I know some people cook and grind their own meat, or use a combination of liver and other beef, and I’m sure that’s delicious, but that level of dedication is beyond me at this point.

In terms of shaping them, I ended up settling on triangles. If you prefer, you can use a glass or cookie-cutter to cut circles, and fold them over into half-moons. I find that this way - cutting the dough into squares and folding into triangles - uses the dough more efficiently. There is no excess dough to collect, re-roll, and reuse. But that’s personal preference.

Keep in mind: These are beef kreplach, but you can also fill them with chicken. The easiest way is to use the chicken from the soup. See this recipe for detailed instructions.

Explore: What do kreplach represent? When is it traditional to eat them? Why?

(My pictures came out mediocre at best, but don't let that dissuade you!)

Dough Ingredients

  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ⅓ cup oil
  • 1 ¼ cups warm water

Filling Ingredients

  • ½ lb (225 grams) ground beef
  • 1 small onion
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp matzah meal or unflavored breadcrumbs

Directions

To make the dough, place the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of your food processor (can also be made in certain blenders; I used a mini Ninja). Pulse a couple of times. Add the oil and warm water and process until the dough starts to come together. Tip it out onto a piece of parchment paper, form into a disk, wrap well, and set aside to rest for two hours.

To make the filling, dice the onion as finely as possible (alternatively, cut it into quarters and throw into the food processor/blender and chop until almost but not quite pureed). Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Wait for the pan to get hot. Add the meat and brown well, breaking it down into small pieces with your spatula/spoon as you go. After a couple of minutes, add in the onion, mix around, and continue cooking over high heat for another few minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until you see no more red in the meat and the onion doesn’t taste raw. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Let the meat mixture cool for 10-15 minutes, then drain well and transfer to a food processor/blender. Pulse very quickly a couple of times. Add the egg and breadcrumbs and pulse again. You are not looking for a mousse-like texture, more like fine, sandy crumbs. NOTE: You can skip this step entirely and just mix the egg and breadcrumbs into the meat in a bowl, no blitzing required.

Once the dough has rested, divide it into two pieces. Roll the first piece out, keep the second piece wrapped in the meantime. I like to roll the dough directly on a large piece of parchment paper to prevent it from sticking, but you can do it directly on the counter, or on a board, etc. Roll it approximately ⅛ inch thick (3mm). This dough is pretty forgiving, but too thin and it will tear, but too thick won’t get you great results either.

Take a knife and cut away the rough edges so that you have a large square or rectangle of dough in front of you. Now cut that dough into relatively evenly-sized squares. Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each square, then pull the edges together and gently seal it in a triangle shape.

Heat a pot of water. Add a couple of tablespoons of salt. When the water is boiling rapidly, drop in a group of kreplach. Don’t overcrowd the pot, they need some space, so do it in batches. The kreplach will rise to the top after a minute or two. At that point reduce the heat and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove and repeat until all the kreplach have been cooked.

Serve in steaming, golden chicken soup.

How to store:

  • If you’ll be using them in the next few days, store in the fridge. Add to the soup about 20-30 minutes before you’ll be serving, to give them time to warm up without disintegrating.
  • You can also freeze them. Freeze on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Once they are frozen solid, transfer to a ziploc bag (this will prevent them from sticking together). No need to defrost; add directly to the soup an hour or more before serving.
  • You can also freeze them after they’re assembled, before you cook them in the boiling water, if that works better for you. Then drop them frozen into the boiling water and cook for longer.

Yields: 20+ kreplach