Bavarian Semmelknoedel (Bread Dumplings)

By Foodiewife

This is a very traditional bread dumpling that is served in restaurants in Austria and Bavaria. This is a perfect dumpling to serve with a stew that has a rich sauce.

Ingredients

• 8 hard french-style rolls (one loaf French bread); at least one day old
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 1 cup whole milk, scalded
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

NOTE: You want to be sure that the bread is "stale" by at least one day.
Slice the bread into 1/4 inch thickness.

In a large bowl, add the bread slices, whisked egg, fresh parsley and kosher salt.
Scald the milk to be very hot, but not boiling. Pour that over the bread mixture, cover with a towel or lid and allow to soak for a few minutes.

When the milk has cooled to be a safe temperature for your hands, mix the bread mixture until clumped together. Don't over mix, though! You want all of the ingredients to bind together. If the mixture is too dry, add a little more scalding milk.

With wet hands, form into six balls.

Chill for 15 to 30 minutes (or overnight).

In a pot of salted boiling water, cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

This makes a perfect side dish with a stew that has a rich gravy.

For leftover dumplings, slice like cooked potatoes. Fry in some bacon and onion, until lightly browned and pour a whisked egg over. Delicious!

NOTE: Some people said that their dumplings fell apart in the water, which has never happened to me. When forming the balls, I squeeze the wet bread mixture a bit to firm it up, and roll them together with a firm touch. It's sort of like making meatballs, if you've ever done that. By chilling them, I make sure that everything binds together well.