Traditional Czech Bread Dumplings Food

HOUSKOVé KNEDLíKY - CZECH BREAD DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Cut the stale white bread into ⅓-inch cubes.
• Combine the flour with 2 pinches of salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Put yeast in the center, sprinkle with a pinch of sugar. Pour in ⅓ of lukewarm milk and stir with a little flour using a fork. Let it sit for 5 minutes until yeast dissolve.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining milk with an egg. Add the mixture to the bowl with flour and yeast.
• Knead the dumpling dough until smooth. Use your hands (my choice) or a kitchen mixer with a proper attachment. Add a bit of flour if the dough is too sticky.
• Only now add cubed bread and combine.
• Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 45 minutes in a warm place until double.
• Meantime, prepare a pot with low boiling salted water to boil the dumpling or a steamer in case you intend to steam the dumpling.
• Divide the proofed dough into two pieces, form a cylinder shape out of each piece. One loaf should be about 8-10 inches (20-25 cm) long and 3-inch (7 cm) thick.

BREAD DUMPLINGS (SEMMELKNOEDEL)

Steps:

• Mix the eggs, milk, and salt. Pour the mixture over the sliced bread. Mix with your hands or a spatula until all bread is coated. Let it sit for a few minutes.
• In a small skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter, add the chopped onions, and saute until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• Add onion with the butter from the pan and chopped parsley to the bread mixture and knead it with your hands until no dry parts remain. The dough should be firm and slightly sticky. If it's too wet, add breadcrumbs, 1 Tbsp at a time and knead until combined.
• Form a ball and cut into 8 equal slices. With wet hands, shape each piece into a ball, slightly smaller than a tennis ball.
• In a big pot, bring water to a boil, add 1 Tbsp of salt. Lower heat until water is barely simmering. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bread dumplings to the pot.
• Cover the pot and let Bread Dumplings simmer for 20 minutes on low. Remove dumplings with a slotted spoon. Serve with gravy.

CZECH GOULASH WITH BREAD DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Goulash:.
• Sauté onion and garlic in shortening until translucent.
• Add meat with spices and sauté till brown.
• Add water; simmer, covered, until meat is tender, about 1 hour.
• Add finely grated potato into the meat and simmer 5 minutes stirring often.
• Serve with dumplings or bread.
• Dumplings:.
• Mix together beaten egg, milk, flour, baking powder and salt until smooth.
• Add bread cubes to batter and mix well.
• Make two small loaves.
• Drop into large pot of vigorously boiling water. Cook 10 minutes, then roll dumpling over and cook an additional 10 minutes. Remove immediately from water and cut ends off to release steam.
• Cut into 1/2 inch slices and serve.

BREAD DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
• Add beaten egg.
• Add the lukewarm water and mix well with wooden spoon.
• Add bread.
• Mix well and roll into oblong dumplings.
• Place into boiling water, cover and cook about 20 minutes, stirring once.
• (We just used two teaspoons to drop pieces of dough into the water without shaping them first, and it worked fine).