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Dumplings like on the alp!

February 2nd, 2018 | side dishes

Not just because they are that delicious, no, also because they can be prepared with leftovers (you know: “too good for the bin” and all that.) We don’t throw away a single piece of stale bread. We cut it into small cubes, let it dry and use it to prepare dumplings. And who ever was hiking in the mountains knows how tasty dumplings are on a mountain lodge. Dumplings in broth or dumplings with bacon and cole slaw like on the mountain? Let’s go

Dumplings like on the alp!

Of course, you can buy your dumpling bread. In southern Germany you can get this „Knödelbrot“ (diced bread) at every bakery. In northern Germany and probably the rest oft he world you have to do it yourself. Leave bread rolls a day or two and then cut into small cubes. I personally use stale bread, cut it in small cubes and dry them. I store them (well dried) in a large clay pot with a lid, until the sufficient amount for dumplings is reached. You can also use dark seed bread. However, there should always be a proportion of dark and light bread, 50:50 is ideal. We like even a sunflower or pumpkin seed inside the dumplings. Why not. After all, we buy best organic bread, why should we throw away any leftovers?

I used to cook the dumplings in salted water. Sometimes, however, there was a mishap: the dumpling mass was not consistent enough, the dumplings fell apart or “frayed”. It then acted like a sponge and the taste suffered. Until I got the tip to let the dumplings simmer in the steamer basket over boiling water. Brilliant! The dumplings do not need any extra breadcrumbs, are wonderfully fluffy and are guaranteed not to fall apart!

Bread dumplings

(yields 9 – 10 dumplings – attention: dough needs time to rest about 50 minutes + 15 minutes cooking time)

350 g stale bread in cubes
don’t cut the cubes too big, edge length of maximum 6-7 mm
300 ml milk, lukewarm
Salt, white pepper, nutmeg
mix spices with the milk and pour over the bread, let rest for 20-30 minutes
1 large onion, diced
40 g butter
sauté onion in butter
½ bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
add parsley, cool down
5 eggs
3 TS flour
whisk, knead with the bread and the onion, let rest for 15-20 minutes
1-2 TS bread crumbs (also made from stale bread with the kitchen mixer)
add bread crumbs if the dough is too wet
shape dumplings with wet hands
place the dumplings in a steamer basket or sieve and let them simmer for about 15 minutes over boiling salted water
if there is no steamer basket, you can also cook the dumplings in water:
give a sample dumpling in boiling salted water, in case it does not hold together, knead in more bread crumbs
cook the dumplings with mild heat for 15 minutes

That's how the wife of the captain does it

I have always a ready supply of dumplings in the freezer. Thaw, shortly warm in boiling salt water, finished. You can also sauté them in butter. Try it!

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