Dumplings

• Bread dumplings are a Bavarian specialty that can be served with mushroom sauce as a main course or as a side dish with roasts and game dishes. They are easy to make and simply taste wonderful. Bread dumplings can also be bought ready-made, but you can easily make them yourself if you follow the simple basic recipe that we have put together for you here. There is also a simple recipe for mushroom cream sauce.
• The main ingredients of bread dumplings are two to three day old rolls or white bread, milk and eggs. It is important that the rolls are actually a bit stale, as the starch in the flour has then removed the paste and therefore behaves differently in the dumpling dough. Incidentally, baked goods get stale faster in the refrigerator, so it is enough to put the rolls or white bread in the refrigerator the day before.
• For vegan dumplings you use plant-based drink instead of milk and soy flour instead of eggs for thickening.
• There is also a Bohemian variant of bread dumplings. The Bohemian bread dumplings are made from a fresh yeast dough with flour, the stale bread dumplings are more of a supporting actor. Milk and egg are also used in Bohemian dumplings, here you can also work with soy milk as a liquid and simply leave out the egg (the fresh flour helps with the thickening). This variant also goes well as an accompaniment to roasts with a lot of sauce, but the Bohemian bread dumplings can also be served as a main meal, for example with mushroom cream sauce.
• Tip 5: bread dumplings have the same basic recipe as napkin dumplings. To make napkin dumplings, you shape the dough into an elongated roll, wrap it in a cloth napkin or heat-resistant foil and hang it in boiling water for about 35 minutes.

Basic recipe for bread dumplings (classic and vegan):

• Cut the stale rolls or white bread into small cubes. Warm up the milk or soy milk and pour over it. Let it steep for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, finely dice the onion and sweat lightly in the butter or oil. With the classic basic recipe, whisk the egg.
• Mix all ingredients and knead into a malleable dough. If necessary, add some breadcrumbs.
• Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Tip: Dumplings can also be cooked in broth, then they taste even more spicy.
• Shape the dough into balls, press down well and place in the slightly simmering but not bubbly water. Simmer for 20 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon.

Basic recipe for Bohemian bread dumplings:

• Put the lukewarm milk or the vegetable drink with the sugar in a cup, crumble in the yeast and carefully dissolve. Let sit for about five minutes until the yeast starts to work and bubbles form.
• Meanwhile, cut the stale rolls into cubes.
• Put the flour in a mixing bowl, make a well and add the remaining ingredients except for the bread cubes with the yeast mixture. Gradually stir in the flour from the outside, then knead for about five minutes to form a dough that comes off the bowl easily. Finally add the bread cubes and knead well.
• Let the dough rise in a warm place for about an hour until it has doubled.
• Bring a saucepan of salted water or broth to a boil.
• Place the dough on a floured work surface and divide into four parts. Knead the four dough pieces again. Always knead the dough inwards from the edge until a ball is formed. Let the balls rise again for a quarter of an hour, then roll them gently in a circle on the work surface with the flat of your hand. They can be a little flatter.
• Put the four dumplings in the simmering, but not bubbly water and leave to stand for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size. Remove with the ladle and drain.
• Cut into slices before serving.

Mushroom cream sauce:

• Clean the mushrooms and cut into quarters or slices, depending on their size. Peel and dice the onion.
• Sweat the onions in the butter in a saucepan, sprinkle the flour on top and let brown a little while stirring constantly.
• Deglaze the roux with a dash of sherry. Then add a good dash of broth and let it simmer, finally adding the rest of the broth. Stir constantly while doing this! Stir in the cream and turn the stove on low.
• Fry the mushroom pieces in a pan, then add them to the sauce.
• Let the sauce simmer for 15 minutes, season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.