Author: Thomas Sixt is a chef, food photographer, cookbook author and blogger. Here he shares recipes, answers cooking questions and helps with cooking.
You can find my bread dumpling recipe in this post. It is a refined, Bavarian original recipe with family roots.
I learned how to cook bread dumplings from my grandmother in Lower Bavaria and later perfected it with Alfons Schuhbeck.
In the following article you will find a mature step-by-step guide that will certainly leave no questions unanswered.
Preparation step 1 Ingredients for bread dumplings.
Adjust ingredients
Prepare the ingredients in the kitchen.
Preparation step 2 Cut the bread into slices
Prepare rolls
Cut the rolls into slices.
Preparation step 3 Cut buns into strips
Cutting Breadrolls
Cut the rolls into sticks.
Preparation step 4 Cut the bread into cubes
Cut bread cubes
Cut the breadcrumbs into even cubes.
Preparation step 5 Bread cubes in the bowl. The dumpling bread is ready.
Provide dumpling bread
Place the evenly cut breadcrumbs in a bowl.
I cut 300 g rolls into small pieces.
Preparation step 6 Shallot on the cutting board.
Prepare shallot
Prepare the shallot on the kitchen board.
You can also use a small, yellow onion!
Preparation step 7 Halved shallot
Halve the shallot
Using a sharp knife, cut the shallot in half through the root.
Preparation step 8 Halved, peeled shallot with skins.
Peel the shallot
Remove the skin from the shallot halves.
Preparation step 9 Cut off the ends of the shallot
Remove tips
Remove the tops of the shallot halves.
Preparation step 10 Cut the shallot down to the root
Slice the shallot
Cut the shallot halves vertically down to the root.
The root holds the shallot together.
Preparation step 11 Cut the shallot horizontally down to the root.
Shallot slice
Cut the shallot horizontally down to the root.
Preparation step 12 Dice the shallot
Dice the shallot
Hold the shallot half firmly and cut into very fine cubes.
Preparation step 13 Finely chopped onion cubes with the leftover root
Diced shallots
Finely chop the shallot just before the root.
Preparation step 14 Onion cubes on the cutting board
Check shallot cubes
Check the fine cut, if necessary chop the shallots again with rocking movements.
Never chop onions, this makes the onions bitter, tears flow and a lot of onion juice escapes.
My finely diced shallot weighed 37g.
Preparation step 15 Onion cubes with butter in a saucepan
Onion cubes in the pot
Place the diced onions in a saucepan with 20 g butter.
I made this in my copper sauté pan.
Preparation step 16 Shallots sautéed in butter
Sweat onion cubes
Sweat the diced onions or shallots for at least ten minutes until translucent.
Preparation step 17 Onion cubes with milk
Add milk
Add 150 ml milk to the diced onions and bring to the boil.
Simmer the milk gently for a few minutes.
Preparation step 18 Season with nutmeg
Flavor milk
The onion milk with
–> 1/2 tsp salt,
–> Six pinches of pepper
and
–> Season and taste with six pinches of freshly grated nutmeg.
Preparation step 19 Pour the onion milk over the dumpling bread
Bread pour over
Pour the onion milk over the prepared bread cubes and dumpling bread.
Preparation step 20 Mix milk with breadcrumbs
Mix dumpling bread
Mix well the dumpling bread doused with milk and onions.
The moisture should be evenly distributed.
Preparation step 21 Beaten eggs in the bowl
Crack eggs
Crack the eggs into a bowl.
Preparation step 22 mix eggs
Mix eggs
Whisk the eggs with a fork.
Preparation step 23 Pour the eggs into the breadcrumbs
Add eggs
Add the prepared eggs to the lukewarm dumpling mixture.
Preparation step 24 Mix the bread dumpling mixture
Mix in the dumpling mixture
Mix the bread dumpling mixture with your hands.
Preparation step 25 Shape the bread dumpling mass in the bowl
Set up the dumpling mass
Push together the bread dumpling base in the bowl.
Preparation step 26 Cover the bread dumpling mass with a cloth
Ripen the dumpling mass
Cover the dumpling mass with a cloth and let it stand for about 15 minutes.
The dumpling bread can absorb the liquid well.
Preparation step 27 Plucked parsley, parsley leaves without stalks.
Pluck parsley
Pluck the parsley leaves from the stalks.
I have prepared a good handful of leaves.
Preparation step 28 Finely chopped parsley
Cut parsley
Cut the parsley.
Preparation step 29 Add the parsley to the dumpling mixture
Portion parsley
I added two level tablespoons of finely chopped parsley to the dumpling base.
Preparation step 30 Mix the bread dumpling mixture with the parsley
Complete the dumpling mass
Mix the parsley into the bread dumpling mixture.
I always do this with my hands so I get an even result.
Preparation step 31 Portioning the bread dumpling mass: Large scoop 210 g – Small scoop 90 g – Ice cream scoop 50 g this is how bread dumplings of the same size are made.
Portion the dumpling mass
Use a large or small ladle to portion the dumpling mixture.
Alternatively, there is an ice cream scoop for small dumplings.
Immerse the portioning device in cold water and fill in the bread dumpling mixture, scrape off the edges and prepare the portions.
Overview of dumpling weight:
Creator big:
–> Jumbo dumplings not for wimps, 210 g
creator small:
–> Midi dumplings for the mother-in-law, 90 g
Ice Cream Scoop:
-> Mini dumplings for the diet phase or gourmet appearance, 50 g
Preparation step 32 dumpling mass moistened hands
Pick up portions of dumplings
Wet your hands with cold water and place each portion in the middle of your hand.
Preparation step 33 Shape the dumplings into rounds
Form dumplings
Roll each dumpling portion skillfully with two hands and form round, even dumplings.
Preparation step 34 Cook the bread dumpling test dumpling
Cook test dumpling
Place a dumpling in boiling salted water and leave for 12 minutes.
Remove and test the dumplings.
Preparation step 35 Portion the dumplings evenly: portions of bread dumplings in the bowl.
Process dumpling mass
Prepare the remaining dumpling mixture for shaping.
Preparation step 36 Various sizes of bread dumplings: jumbo 210 g weight, midi 90 g weight, mini 50 g weight
Dumpling Cooking Times
The cooking times at a glance:
–> Jumbo dumplings 20-30 minutes
–> Midi dumplings 15-20 minutes
–> Mini dumplings approx. 12 minutes.
Preparation step 37 Bread dumplings shaped on the plate
Shaped dumplings
Prepare the formed dumplings for cooking.
You could also wrap the dumplings and freeze them.
Preparation step 38 Boiled bread dumpling on skimmer
Cook dumplings
Cook the dumplings as desired:
–> Never prepare the dumplings at a high boil.
–> Always place in boiling salted water and let it simmer gently.
Cover: Always cook dumplings without a cover, this is a guarantee of success.
Preparation step 39 Drain the cooked bread dumplings.
Drain the bread dumplings
Lift the dumplings out of the water with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper.
–> Never put the dumplings directly from the cooking water onto the plate, because then there will be a puddle of cooking water on the plate.
The Bavarian globe, that’s how the dumpling is affectionately called. It remains controversial whether the dumpling was invented at the gateway to the Bavarian Forest.
In any case, that’s where the town of Deggendorf, nicknamed “Knödelstadt” lies. The dumpling thrower is not to blame for this, it is a bronze fountain figure in the old town.
There is also a dumpling express in Deggendorf, which rolls into the train station from time to time. In addition, refined dishes such as a sponge cake and pralines made from dumplings and recently even the collective brand Deggendorfer Knödel .
In old Bavaria, dumplings and roast pork, like white sausage, were declared national dishes from the 19th century. In contrast to the white sausage, the Tyrolean, Franconian, Vogtländer, Thuringian and Bohemians have also adopted the dumpling, dumpling or knedlik as a traditional dish.
We know these traditional dishes as potato dumplings, snapkin dumplings , pretzel dumplings, yeast dumplings, plum dumplings, liver dumplings, bacon dumplings or just bread dumplings.
The correct naming remains confusing and even Karl Valentin racked his brains over it: Is that a bread dumpling, a breadsdumpling or is it even a breadsdumplings ?
The origin cannot finally be clarified. The only thing left for us is the happiness of the dumpling on the plate. It cuts a particularly beautiful figure and creates positive feelings in the eater due to its sensual, round shape.
Dear Thomas, this is the best instruction I found on German dumplings. Very helpful! Holly