Dampf Nudeln

Dampf Nudeln

This is a recipe from my German heritage.  I serve this with lentil soup.  The steamed dumplin is placed in the bowl with the soup added.  A small amount is taken with each spoon of soup.
 Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1 egg 
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2-3/4 cup milk
vegetable oil, salt, water

Preparation:

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.

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Add egg, sugar, salt and melted butter. Initially add 1 cup of milk. Knead with dough hook, adding milk as necessary to obtain a smooth but not too soft dough.

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Form a ball, coat with vegetable oil, cover and in a warm place let rise until volume has doubled.

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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.

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In a heavy non-stick pan (see notes) bring 1 cup 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.

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Cook over low-medium heat until all the water has evaporated and nice brown crust has formed on the bottom of the dumplings ( 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!

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1. When removing the lid, avoid to drip water on the dumplings.
2. 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