Skiing in the Alpes comes with eating Germknödel aka Dampfnundeln! If you’ve been there up on the mountain for lunch, this food is what gives you all the energy back that the cold weather sucked out of your body. Even if you are not skiing but maybe shoveling snow or just trying to make it to the mailbox, have in mind that you will always be able to reward yourself with Dampfnudeln!
How to make Dampfnudlen and Germknödel
I mostly lived in the North of Germany, far from the Alpes, so except for vacations I didn’t get Dampfnudeln and I had no idea how to make them myself. But I loved these sweet dumplings with the delicious plum spread filling (recipe for Plum Spread here) and wanted to learn it.
Oh, at first I was so scared to make these. My friend Sybille from Stuttgart showed me how to make Dampfnudeln when we visited her and that’s when I realized that it is really simple. My family loves them and except for the fact that you cannot make them last minute right before a meal, they are a relaxed meal.
Sweet Yeast Dumplings
As mentioned before, Dampfnudeln are also called “Germknödel” and the word “Germ” stands for “yeast” in Austria. The yeast is why one cannot make them twenty minutes before lunchtime – this food needs to rest and grow like bread dough. And that’s what it basically is. It’s a sweet yeast dough and one can either cook them over steam – then they are called Germknödel – or in a mix of cream, milk, butter, and sugar – then they are called Dampfnudeln.
Dampfnudeln and Germknödel are traditionally served with a warm vanilla sauce and some poppy seeds on top.
Dampfnudeln or Germknödel?
The difference is in the cooking method: Dampfnudeln are cooked in a mix of mik & cream while Germknödel are cooked over steam or in boiling water. If you make Germknödel, add some salt to the water. But don’t overdo it, your Germknödel shouldn’t taste salty.
Some people make their sweet yeast dumplings in the oven (called “Rohrnudeln”). I tried that but I think the dough dries out too much in the oven. In my opinion, it tastes better to cook the dumplings.
Now learn the really simple method to make this sweet treat of a delicious meal and don’t even think about just serving it for dessert – they really make you full … very full!
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Dampfnudeln / Germknödel – Sweet Dumplings
Ingredients
For the dough
- 300 g flour
- 70 g sugar
- 8 g dry yeast
- 125 ml milk
- 50 g unsalted butter
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- some vanilla sugar or extract
Filling
- some plum or other jam, alternative an apricot
To cook in
- 50 g unsalted butter unsalted
- 100 ml cream (whipping cream or heavy whipping cream) (do not mix with the dough!)
- 100 ml milk (do not mix with the dough!)
- 1 tbsp sugar (do not mix with the dough!)
To serve
- 30 g Butter (do not mix with the dough!)
- 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
- 1 Tbsp. Confectioners Sugar
- 1 recipe vanilla sauce
Instructions
- Heat the 125 ml milk with the 50 g butter on the stove or in the Microwave until lukewarm .
- Mix the flour with 70 g sugar, vanilla sugar, yeast, and salt in a large bowl.
- Add the egg and the milk, mix and knead well for about 5 minutes.
- Cover the bowl and place it where it is warm. Let stand there at least 40 minutes to 1 hour.
- When the dough has clearly risen and about doubled it’s volume, remove it from the bowl and start kneading it with your hands on the kitchen counter top.
- Form a thick roll and cut this roll in 8 pieces about the same size.
- Mold each piece of dough into a sphere.
- Flatten each sphere.
- Take about one teaspoon of plum spread or other jam and fill it in the cave that your thump left in the dough.
- Take the rims of the dough and close the cave – see picture!
- In a large pot (must have a good closing lid!) put the 100 ml milk and 100 ml cream, add the butter and heat the stove on medium.
- When the butter melts, sprinkle one tbsp sugar all over the milk.
- Place the dough spheres into the pot with the seam placed downside and let rest for another 15 to 20 minutes.
- Now close the lid!
- On medium heat simmer for about 20 -25 minutes and don't open the lid. Really. I mean it. Keep it closed! But at the same time make sure your Dampfnudeln don't burn
- In the meantime, you can cook the vanilla sauce.
- Serving Dampfnudeln / Germknödel: In a deep plate put some vanilla sauce. Place a dumpling in the center of the plate and pour some vanilla sauce on top or melt some butter on it to make the poppy seeds stick. Last, mix the poppy seeds and confectioners sugar and sprinkle it on top.
"Guten Appetit"!
Notes
How I prefer my Dampfnudeln:
Personally I like to put some cinnamon-sugar mix onto my Dampfnudeln / Germknödel!
Based on 2 Review(s)
Thank you for your delightful recipe for Germknödel.
With Austrian heritage and living in the UK.
I have been looking at a few sites for an easy to follow recipe and was luck enough to come across yours.
I managed to make it – like you I needed to add a little extra flour, but because it had happened to you and I knew what consistency I was aiming for I was able to do this with confidence.
I’ll be having. A look at your blog and trying out further recipes.
❤️❤️❤️
Hello,
How much fresh yeast do I use instead of the 8 grams of dry yeast please? Thank you.
Linda
Hi Linda,
to my knowledge, it would be 20g of fresh yeast.
Hello,
How much fresh yeast would I use instead of the 8 grams of dry yeast please? Thank you!
Linda
Hi Barbara,
gratulation to your channel ! I really enjoy it I only regret that I found it so late (today)
My problem is that I cannot find all ingredients here in CO. Walmart is cutting down on products more and more, can’t even get rye flour anymore. Where do you get fresh yeast a.e.??? Can’t find it here at any store and I’m not living in the country, I’m living in Denver!
I hear you! Rye flour is very difficult to get here in Houston, too. Whole Foods sometimes has it and one can order it on amazon. However, I have a 24 pound sack of rye flour and of spelt flour in my pantry. I just got tired of hunting down little bags of flour. The fresh yeast was from Central Market in Houston. I got it at the bakery station there but they won’t sell it to me anymore. I am using dry yeast now. I hope you will find what you need for my recipes, good luck!
Had these decades ago when studying in Vienna and absolutely adored them. Never thought I could make them myself. These day I can’t eat such large servings. Could I divide the dough into more pieces to create smaller servings?
Yes, you can make the dumplings smaller and have more servings (or just make half the batch and make them smaller so you don’t have leftovers). REduce the cooking time a bit if you make them smaller.
I am writing from Canada. Tried making Dampfnudeln yesterday and it was a great success. Thank you so much! I love your youtube videos. One correction: in the video and step-by-step instructions above there is butter melted into the milk when making the dough; however, in the printable recipe on the blog this quantity of butter is missing from the ingredients list under the heading “For the Dough”.
I’ll check that and correct it, thank you, Mel!
Hi,
This recipe is excellent, I made a batch tonight with sour cherry jam inside instead, they were so good. One question, now I have a lot of left overs. How would you recommend reheating these?
Many thanks,
S
You can reheat them over some steam or cut into slices and fry in butter, then sprinkle with a mix from sugar and cinnamon (that’s how I do it). Enjoy!
Hello, what is the size (diameter) of the pot? Thank you!
The pots are 8 1/2 and 9 1/2 inch in diameter (= 19 cm and 22 cm)
Do I actually need Rum
Hi Christopher,
I am struggling to find rum in this recipe. Are you referring to a different recipe?
Barbara
The recipe is excellent, but I would comment that there is actually distinction between Dampfnudeln and Germknödel. This is a recipe for Dampfnudeln. To make Germknödel, one should simmer the balls of dough in salted water or steam them.
If you read the blog post, you would know she clearly explained this difference.
She explained it right, but she named her recipe Germknödel, but she made Dampfnudeln.
In the video you can learn that I made both and which is named which.
Hello,
I am writing you from Estonia.
I just found your site and it looks interesting and fantastic way to explain your recipes.
I would like to try this dessert Germnödel. I hope it will successfull.
Tumb up!
Greetings.