Austrian Desserts: Germknödel (giant yeast dumplings)

Ingredients (5 persons)

500 g flour
15 g yeast (a bit less than 1 cube or 1 bag of dried yeast)
2 eggs
50 g butter
50 g sugar
1 pitxh of salt
a bit of milk
Powidel, the thick, smooth Austrian plum jam with rum
50 g of grated poppy seeds
50 g of butter

What Germknödel are

Germknödel are very large dumplings made from a yeast dough. The most challenging bit is to get "Powidel" abroad, a very thick and smooth plum jam with a bit of rum. You might have to make it yourself. Keep in mind that a single dumpling will have a diameter of about 15 centimetres, so one per person is normal. Making them from scratch is a bit of a hassle, in Austria you can buy them frozen and just boil them at home.

How to prepare a Germknödel

Warm a bit of milk, add some sugar and the yeast. Let it sit for a bit and then mix it with all other ingredients except powidel, poppy seed and the second 50 g of butter. Note that the ingredients must not be cold - they should be at least at room temperature to keep the yeast happy. Mix the dough until it is very smooth and let it sit for a few minutes. Then divide it into five pieces. Flatten them to discs and fill them with a tablespoon of Powidel each. Make sure that they are closed properly. Boil the dumplings in bubbling salt water for approximately 5 minutes with the lid closed. Then remove the lid, pierce every dumpling with a fork and boil with no lid for another 5 minutes. In the meantime, melt the second 50 g of butter and mix the poppy seeds with icing sugar. Take the dumplings on a plate, pour butter and the poppy seed / sugar mix over them and serve.

More Austrian Recipes

Cooking Measures Conversion Tool

Desserts & Sweet Meals: Kaiserschmarrn - Topfenpalatschinken pancakes - Topfengrießknödel - Potato dough for Mohn- and Nussnudeln - Pofesen - Apple Strudel - Topfenschmarrn - Topfenstrudel - Wuchteln - Germknödel - Reisauflauf - Salzburger Nockerl

Cakes & Tarts: Altwiener Topfentorte - Biscuit Dough - Brandteigkrapferl - Marmorgugelhupf - Linzertorte - Malakowtorte - Metternichtorte - Sachertorte - Zwetschkenkuchen

Christmas Cookies: Hamburger Schnitten - Haselnuss Makronen - Ploberger Schnitten - Lebkuchen - Mürbe Doppelte - Früchtelebkuchen - Rumkugeln - Vanillekipferl - Kokosbusserl

Converting Kitchen Measures: US vs. Metric
 

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