Steffen's Dinners - Recipes and Photos

Dampfnudeln are not noodles as their German name might suggest. They are steamed dumplings.

In my childhood it was always a special day when my Grandmother made Dampfnudeln. Back then I didn't like the potato soup or the wine sauce that was usually served together with them, but I loved the dumplings!

Dampfnudeln go well with a flavorful potato soup or a stew, but you can also serve them with wine mousse or vanilla sauce.

This recipe is from my grandmother's collection.

Ingredients

• 1lb 2oz / 500g flour
• 1 egg
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 3 oz / 90g butter, melted
• 2 oz / 60g sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• ca. ½ - ¾ cup / 120 - 180ml milk
• vegetable oil, salt, water

Preparation

1. Dissolve yeast in a bit of milk. Sift flour into mixing bowl. Make a depression in the center. Pour in yeast, add a pinch of sugar and stir lightly. Let ferment until bubbly.
2. Add egg, sugar, salt and melted butter. Initially add 1 cup / 120ml of milk. Knead with dough hook, adding milk as necessary to obtain a smooth but not too soft dough.
3. Form a ball, coat with vegetable oil, cover and in a warm place let rise until volume has doubled.
4. Flatten dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Put on baking paper, cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for another 20 minutes.
5. In a heavy non-stick pan (see notes) bring 1 cup / 240ml of water to a boil. Add 1 tsp salt and 4 tbsp olive oil. Put in 3 - 4 dough balls and cover immediately. Do now crowd the pan, the dumplings will expand quite a bit.
6. Cook over low-medium heat until all the water has evaporated and nice brown crust has formed on the bottom of the dumplings (ca. 15 - 20 minutes). The dumplings will start to make crackling noises when they are close to done. Do not open the lid until the dumplings are fully cooked, otherwise they will deflate!
7. When removing the lid, avoid to drip water on the dumplings.
8. Repeat until all the dumplings are done.

Notes

• Dampfnudeln can be served warm or cold. I think they taste much better fresh out of the pan.
• Traditionally, dumplings are steamed in a heavy cast iron dutch oven. I find it much simpler to use a high-quality heavy (anodized aluminum) non-stick pan with a tight-fitting lid. A glass lid is ideal.

Preparation time: 2 - 3 hours.

Yields 8 Dampfnudeln