Bacon Dumplings ('Speckknödel')
Bacon Dumplings ('Speckknödel')
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- For the dumpling batter:
- 9 ounces (250 g) fresh or stale German-style bread rolls, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 cup (235 mL) whole milk (use 1.25-1.5 cups if using stale leftover bread rolls)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 5 ounces (150 g) bacon, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 medium-sized onion, finely minced
- 2 eggs, size L
- 3.5 ounces (100 g) fresh spinach, blanched in salt water and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded mountain cheese (gruyère or parmesan are great substitutes)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- black pepper, to taste
- freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- For serving (optional):
- 4 cups chicken or beef broth
- white wine vinegar, to taste
- salt, to taste
- a handful of finely minced chives for garnishing
Instructions
- 1
Soak your bread rolls in milk:
- 2
Put the bread roll cubes inside a large mixing bowl. Heat the milk in a small pot or the microwave until it is lightly simmering. Pour the hot milk over the bread roll cubes and mix briefly. Cover with plastic wrap and let the bread roll cubes sit for 30 minutes.
- 3
Prepare the dumpling dough:
- 4
Heat the butter in a small nonstick pan over medium heat and add in the bacon. Sweat for 8-10 minutes or until the bacon fat has rendered and the bacon cubes are crispy. Add in the onion and sweat for another 1-2 minutes until the onion turns translucent. Add the bacon and onion mixture to your soaked bread roll cubes along with the eggs, spinach, cheese, parsley, and flour. Season to taste with black pepper and nutmeg. You don't need to add any salt. Bacon, cheese, and bread are already salty! Just briefly mix the dough and don’t knead it. It should be super light and fluffy. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and let it sit for another 15 minutes.
- 5
Form the dumplings:
- 6
Wet your hands and form round-shaped bread dumplings by rolling the dumpling dough between the palm of your hands. The dumpling size is up to your choice. Around the size of a tennis ball is ideal. Make sure the surface of your dumplings is completely smooth without any holes as you don’t want any water to leak inside your dumplings. Put the dumplings into hot water that is lightly salted and keep it at a light simmer. Poach the dumplings for about 15-20 minutes. The dumplings will sink to the bottom first and then slowly float up to the top over time.
- 7
Serve your dumplings:
- 8
I recommend serving bacon dumplings with chicken or beef broth. Season the broth to taste with vinegar and salt. Sprinkle the dumplings with some chives and pour the hot broth over them. They are also delicious served with brown butter and some extra shredded cheese on top.