Best Old Country Dumplings German Bullets 2 Ways Recipes

OLD COUNTRY DUMPLINGS (GERMAN BULLETS) - 2 WAYS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix the flour, eggs and water with your hands. Knead the dough in the bowl until it is one large ball of dough. It shouldn't be too dry and just a tiny bit sticky. If you find it's too dry or too wet, add a very small amount of water or flour until you get the right consistency. Set bowl aside.
• Add bacon and onion to large frying pan. Stir frequently over medium heat until bacon is cooked and onion is slightly browned. When done, place bacon and onions on paper towls on a plate. Do NOT wipe out the pan - you need the fat for frying. Return half the bacon mixture to the pan.
• With kitchen shears, cut dough into 4 or 5 large pieces. Between your palms, flatten dough into a large flat circle, about 1 inch thick. Cut pieces of dough into similar, bite sized pieces onto a tea towel. It's OK if they dry for a few minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring salted water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add potatoes, cook for 10 minutes, until just tender. Remove potatoes and set aside.
• Add dumplings to boiling water. You can do this by dropping them in a few at a time or fill up a spatula with dumplings and add to water. Make sure to stir them up in case some are sticking together. When they float, they are done, only a few minutes. Strain some of the dumplings into a colander, keeping half of them in the pot. *** Make sure you keep enough cooking water in the pot to cover about 3/4 of the soup dumplings.
• Ensure that half of the dumplings are in the soup and half in the pan with the bacon and onions. Add the potatoes to the soup and the bacon and onion mixture that you set aside. Add milk and bring to a boil. When it reaches a boil, you can turn it down to low. Salt and pepper to taste.
• While waiting for the soup to boil, fry the dumplings in the pan with the bacon and onion. Add eggs and stir to coat the dumplings. Let egg cook through. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Your 2 versions of dumplings are now ready! I usually have the soup first and then the fried ones second, in the same bowl. Some people like to get the soup and put the fried ones on top. Any way you like it - there are no rules!
• It is a good idea to leave out salt and pepper so everyone can add it to their taste.

SWEET GERMAN DUMPLINGS (DAMPFNUDEL)

Steps:

• To make the dumplings, heat the milk to lukewarm. Be careful not to go any hotter or you risk destroying the yeast. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the sugar and the dried yeast and leave in a warm place for 10 minutes until bubbles begin to appear on the surface.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, the remaining sugar, egg, melted butter and the yeast mixture. Stir together with a wooden spoon at first, then using your hands once the dough starts to come together in a ball. Tip out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and springy.
• Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover with cling film, and leave to rise somewhere warm for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
• While the dough is proving, make the vanilla sauce. Put the milk and vanilla seeds in a saucepan and warm gently. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Pour the warm milk onto the egg yolk mixture, whisk everything together, then return the mixture to the pan and heat very gently, stirring all the time, until the mixture thickens. This might take up to 20 minutes over a low heat, so to speed things up, you could slake 2 teaspoons of cornflour with a splash of water, stir together, then add it to the sauce. Keep cooking until it has thickened to your liking.
• When the dough has almost finished proving, prepare the poaching liquid. Put the milk, sugar and butter in a large saucepan or deep sided frying pan, with a tight-fitting lid and heat until the butter has melted and the sugar is dissolved.
• Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and shape each portion into a ball, being careful to tuck the seams in underneath so you have a smooth top to each ball. Pop the dumplings into the poaching liquid, making sure they are all sitting on the base of the pan with a little space in between each dumpling, and put the lid on and don't remove it for the first 25 minutes of cooking time. Keep the heat low under the pan so the dumplings are poaching. After 25 minutes, check the tops of the dumplings feel firm to the touch, cook for a little longer if you need to, then remove the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes or until any remaining liquid has evaporated so that the dumplings develop their characteristic golden bases. Pour the vanilla sauce over the dumplings to serve.

GERMAN POTATO DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a Dutch oven; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain; transfer to a large bowl., Mash potatoes. Stir in flour, eggs, bread crumbs, salt and nutmeg. Shape into sixteen (2-in.) balls., In a Dutch oven, bring 12 cups water to a boil. Carefully add dumplings. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 7-9 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of dumplings comes out clean., Meanwhile, in a small heavy saucepan, heat butter and onion over medium heat. Heat 5-7 minutes or until butter is golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in bread crumbs. Serve with dumplings.

GERMAN SPAETZLE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, and nutmeg.
• Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add eggs. Scramble the eggs slightly with a fork, mixing them with the flour mixture. Add the water, a little at a time, mixing until a soft dough forms. (Your dough should be somewhere between a drop biscuit dough and a stiff muffin batter. It should be spoon-able, but not pour-able.)
• Cover the dough loosely with a tea towel and set it aside to rest for 15 minutes.
• While dough is resting, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil with 2 tsp salt. (You can add 1 Tbsp of oil to your water if you would like, to keep the cooked Spaetzle from sticking together. If you will be sautéing your Spaetzle after boiling, this is not necessary.)
• Scoop your rested batter into your Spaetzle pressing tool. (Any metal kitchen gadget with holes roughly the diameter of a pencil will work well. Don't have anything? Grab a cutting board and a spatula and check out this recipe for making Spaetzle using the board cutting method.)
• Press the Spaetzle dough through the press into the boiling water. Once the Spaetzle bobs to the top of the water, it is done. Remove it using a slotted spoon. (But, not the one you're using to press the Spaetzle dough!)
• Place the boiled Spaetzle into a bowl and continue with the rest of the dough.
• Serve immediately.

GERMAN DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a large saute pan, over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Reserve bacon in pan with rendered fat.
• In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cayenne and baking powder to combine. Beat eggs and milk together in a small bowl and stir into dry mixture until smooth and uniform.
• Bring 6 cups salted water to a boil in a large pot. Poke holes using a pointed chopstick through the bottom of the aluminum pie pan to create a disposable spaetzle maker. Push the dough through the holes into the boiling water. Stir and cook for 3 minutes, or until dumplings float. Remove dumplings and immediately toss in pan with bacon. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

GERMAN POTATO DUMPLINGS (KARTOFFELKLOESSE)

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and let cool until easily handled.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add bread cubes; cook and stir until golden brown and crunchy, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer bread to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Reserve the browned butter in the pan.
• Peel potatoes and place them in a large bowl. Mash and season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg. Stir in eggs and mash until combined. Add flour; stir just until flour disappears. Do not overmix dough.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a simmer. Dampen hands with water and scoop a spoonful of the dough onto your palm. Shape into a circle, make a light indentation in the center, and place 2 or 3 croutons inside. Roll into a smooth ball, sealing in the croutons. Repeat with remaining dough and croutons.
• Use a large spoon to lower dumplings into the simmering water, one at a time. Cook until they float to the top, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until set, flipping dumplings over halfway, until 20 minutes.
• Place dumplings on a serving plate. Drizzle with reserved browned butter. Crumble remaining croutons on top and garnish with chives. Let dumplings firm up slightly before serving, about 10 minutes.

GRANDMA ROSIE'S DROP DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Mix 1 egg, a touch of milk, a pinch of baking powder and a dash of salt.
• Add flour to make thick paste substance.
• Spoon into boiling broth or gravy and allow to cook with meal.
• *Note: the more milk the fluffier the dumplings.