Dumpling Recipe Wanted!

[daveamkrayoguy]

Or is the way I made them (though they're like pancakes) good enough?

 

I am contemplating another sausage & sauerkraut dish tonight (like this one) & would like to make the dumplings like my mom used to make them, in which case I'm envisioning them boiled & not fried:

 

 

-- Dave

 

[turquoisedude]

The dumplings I usually make are cooked in a fairly liquid dish, like a stew.  They are literally dropped on top of the bubbling stew, covered and cooked more or less by steaming.  

 

Here's the recipe I tend to make most:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

parsley, mixed dried herbs to complement the stew, finely chopped onion, if desired

about 1/2 cup milk

 

Lightly mix the ingredients to form a thick batter; add more liquid if the mixture is too thick.  Drop by heaping tablespoons onto stew, cover, and cook for 7 to 9 minutes (don't remove pan cover until minimum time is up) or until dumplings are puffed up but firm.   The outside of the dumplings will look shiny.   Recipe can be doubled or tripled. 

 

My late grandmother added about 1/3 cup of shredded suet to the mixture, but that's too rich for most of my stews and 'hot pots' as she called them.  

 

 

[gyrafoam]

In the Deep South we just made a typical batch of biscuit dough and pinched off pieces to drop into simmering liquid. Cover and let steam a half-hour or so.

Some people roll-out a noodle dough and cut strips out of it instead.
I guess it's just what you are used to.

 

[norgeway]

For fluffy dumplings

Bisquick works great, Most people in this part of the south like the noodle type or slick dumplings as they are called here, They are made by mixing hot broth with self rising flour, kneading into a very firm dough,rolling and cutting in strips and dropping into the boiling broth for 20 minutes or so.

 

[gusherb]

When I see something like say, chicken and dumplings, it's usually the slick/noodle type boiled in broth that you mentioned. That's my favorite along with matzo balls and Xiaolongbao (Chinese soup dumplings). The Xiaolongbao have soup inside them (typically a chicken broth).

 

[yogitunes]

birds of a feather.....

mom always did this as part of a chicken style soup.....

it was either dumplings, which was dough, like Bisquick, and dropped in by tablespoons, or rolled out and cut into 2" squares and dropped in, but this we called chicken pot pie!

 

[gyrafoam]

It occurs to me-----

That perhaps your mother made German style dumplings ---which is a different critter.
Gary Weibel and his mother took me to a wonderful old restaurant in Minneapolis years ago and those were wonderful dumplings made German style.

 

[mrboilwash]

German Style

Is either potato dumplings or bread dumplings.
Potato dumplings are time consuming to make so most Germans today buy prepared refrigerated dough.
They are made from 50% boiled and mashed potatoes and 50% grated raw potatoes (as you would use for potato pancakes, but the liquid has to be squeezed out thoroughly) an egg, salt to taste and some all purpose flour. The dough needs to be very dry and stiff so you can form firm balls the size of a billiard ball with your wet hands. Put them into a huge pot of boiling saltwater then let them simmer for about 20 min until they float on top.
Another variation is made with only raw grated potatoes, the rest of the recipe is the same.

Bread dumplings are easier to make because you don`t have to peel and grate potatoes to get started.
We usually use old stale rolls for them, but rolls in the States are different and not a good sustitute. You could use stale french baguett which is similar in taste and texture to our rolls.
Recipe is easy and manageable without measuring.
Cut bread in small pieces and pour some hot milk over it, cover and let sit for a few minutes. Use just enough milk to soften the bread a little you don`t want a soupy result. If you used too much milk you might be able to save the bread by squeezing the excess milk out with your bare hands and add some more stale bread. Add an egg or two, salt, and fresh parsley. Again you should get a rather firm dough. The rest goes like potato dumplings.
German dumlings are usually served with pork roast and gravy.

 

[perc-o-prince]

Mine are similar to Paul's except I cut shortening into the flour. I usually add a bit of s & p, granulated garlic, and dehyd parsley. Then, add milk till it's a goopy mess. The consistency allows me to pick it up easily with a tablespoon and drop it into the simmering stew. 15-20 min later, the tops are almost dry looking and when you poke them, you can tell they're cooked through. It's a more dense dumpling, but you usually have one with lots of stew for a meal.

Chuck

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Thank you all for recipes & suggestions!

Well, I finally made them according to convention & although this meal was the weeks ago that I'd posted my request for the right recipe, I finally got around to posting the results, though falling much into "practice makes perfect", (they weren't really "done") I think I'll someday master my mom's method:

 

 

-- Dave

 

[askolover]

What Hans said ^

I make mine with some chicken broth and White Lily flour, knead in the KA stand mixer, roll out very thin with a huge wooden rolling pin my grandfather made, and slice into squares with a pizza cutter & drop into boiling chicken broth.  They will make you slap yo momma.  My mother says mine are better than hers but I beg to differ.  I make mine the exact same way she does!  I guess they taste better when you don't have to make them yourself.