Bavarian Bread Dumplings – Authentic Recipe

Bavarian Bread dumplings or Semmelknoedel in German are a food specialty. You would enjoy dumplings always with a meat dish and gravy, like a beef or pork roast, Goulasch or Beef rolls (Rouladen). The Bavarian recipe version is using rolls which are 1-3 days old, they call them in Bavaria “Semmel” – that’s why the Bavarian name is “Semmelknoedel”.
In the West and North of Germany we call them “Kloesse” but however you call them, the shape is always round and their size is like a tennis balls, and you boil them in hot water.

In Germany there are practically different dumplings for every meal – they can be the side dish of a main meal, or be in a soup, or made for dessert, filled with  Italian plums or apricots – served with melted butter, sugar and cinnamon. You also can make dumplings with potatoes, semolina or with meat (liver dumplings, Koenigsberger Meatballs).

Not enough Time? Here is the solution…

Ingredients Bavarian Bread Dumplings

3 older German rolls (Brötchen, alternatively use french baguette but not sourdough)
1/8 liter milk
2 medium sized eggs
3-4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
salt to taste
1 tbsp salt for the water

Cooking Instructions Bavarian Dumplings

– Cut the rolls in thin slices or cubes.
– Add salt and eggs.
– Pour milk in a pot with salt and bring to a boil.
– While the milk is on the stove, chop parsley fine.
– Now add as much milk as needed (milk must be hot), depending on size of the rolls; mix and add parsley.
– Cover with a damp kitchen cloth, let rest for 30 minutes (the bread will soak all the milk and becomes a dough); should the dough be too liquid add some more bread crumbs.
– In a big pan bring water with salt to a boil.
– Form dumplings – moist your hands with cold or warm water, it will be easier to form them.
– Do a test: Make small dumpling and cook it in the water; should the dumpling fall apart while cooking add more bread crumbs into the mix; should the dumpling be too solid add another egg.
– Every time you form a dumpling moisten your hands with water.
– Put the dumplings into boiling water; they will be under water but will appear at the surface.
– Reduce heat right away so they can be cooked in slightly boiling water (just less boiling).
– The dumplings would “soak” in the water for 20-25 minutes.
– Depending on the size of the dumplings cooking time can reduce to 15 minutes.

Take the dumplings out of the water and serve them right away
Serve them with Goulash, or some meat dish with gravy, without gravy they might be too dry.

Tips
If you like add other herbs into the dumpling mix, such as parsley or thyme, consider that strong herbs might be dominating too much.
You also can add bacon (the German Speck).

Contains Sauerkraut, Red cabbage and Spaetzle!

Recipe Source