Bavarian Dampfnudeln or Yeast Dumplings

Bavarian Dampfnudeln or Yeast dumplings is a traditional Bavarian dish. They are made out of a yeast dough and can contain eggs or not. You would make balls in the size of a fist and then cook them in a closed pot that contains some milk and butter (Bavarian version) or saltwater and grease (Pfalz version).
When cooked the right way the Dampfnudeln have a golden brown crust on the bottom. To get this crust use a pot that has a thick bottom or is made out of cast iron. They are cooked by the steam so you need to have a good lid on top of the pot. Recipe from our FB follower Ursula U. –  Happy Cooking!

Ingredients Bavarian Dampfnudeln

500g flour – Find German Flour Here – 
1 egg
80g butter
1 oz yeast, dry or fresh (enough yeast for 500g flour, 20g fresh yeast or 1 package dried yeast per German recipe)
40g sugar
1/2 tsp salt
250ml milk
Additional for the cooking: 125ml milk and 100g butter

Cooking Instructions

– Dissolve yeast with sugar.
– Mix all ingredients on a wooden baking board or smooth surface.
– Knead until you get a smooth dough.
– Cover the dough and let raise at a warm place for about 1 hour or even longer. Volume should have doubled.

– Roll the dough on a flour sprinkled board, then form 9 balls, should have all the same size.
– Sprinkle a baking or cutting board with flour, place dumplings on it and let rise for another 15 min. Keep a good distance in between the balls.
– Slightly flatten them and let raise  for 30 min more.
– It is extremely important to make the Dampfnudeln in a proper pot, preferably in a Dutch oven.
The bottom of the pot should be thick and the lid should fit tight, size about 6-7 qt.
– Melt butter in a pan, add milk, sugar and a dash of salt, so the bottom is at least 1 inch covered.

Note: The dough balls should not be covered with milk!

– Place dumplings carefully into the pot. Let them rise again for 10-20 min. Then place lid on top and bring to a soft boil on medium heat.
– Then reduce heat to low and cook them for about 30 min until all milk is absorbed and the crust of the dumplings begins to make a “cracking” sound. If so reduce heat to lowest temperature,  for electric stoves you would turn the cooking plate off and leave on warm burner.
Important: Never open the lid during the cooking time!

IDEAL RESULT:
– The Dampfnudeln should be light and fluffy with a nice crust on the bottom, and all the liquid should be absorbed.
– Let them remain in the closed pan for several more minutes. Carefully remove the lid so that the condensed water does not drip on them.
– Remove from the pan by using a wooden spoon and place the dumplings with the crust on top on a warm plate.

SERVING
– Serve with a warm vanilla or a wine sauce (see recipe below).
– You can make the vanilla sauce  by using a regular small package vanilla pudding stirred into 3 cups of milk. Let simmer until thickened. Or use the ready made Vanilla Sauce from Dr Oetker.
– You also can sprinkle poppyseeds with sugar over the dumplings.
– Important is to serve them right away!

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How to Make the Wine Sauce (Weinsosse)

4 egg yolks
2 eggs
320 g sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
1 liter red wine

Instructions Wine Sauce

– Combine sugar, eggs, starch and some wine (1/4 liter) and mix very well.
– Pour rest of the wine into a sauce pan, then add the sugar-egg mix.
– Heat the sauce very briefly until it thickens – Important: Never bring the sauce to a boil!
– Let cool off and serve warm.

– Check out the Recipe for Vanilla Sauce – click here –

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Or Get the German Vanilla Sauce from Dr Oetker –
Fast and easy to make without cooking – can be enjoyed cold or warm. 

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