Dampfnudeln mit Vanillesoße

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy lidded pan, 28 to 30cm
• •Stand mixer or large mixing bowl
• •Thin spatula
• •Small saucepan
• •Whisk

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the dough

   Warm the milk until it feels just warm to your finger, not hot, because yeast works in warmth and dies in heat. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, soft butter, egg, salt, lemon zest, and milk into a soft dough, then knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. A well-kneaded dough traps the gas evenly, so the dumplings rise high instead of tearing at the sides.

   If using fresh yeast, crumble it into the warm milk with a spoon of the sugar first. Let it foam for 10 minutes, then mix the dough.
2. 2

   Let it rise

   Cover the bowl and leave the dough until doubled, about 60 to 75 minutes in a warm kitchen. Don't rush this rise. Yeast dough needs time to build flavour and strength, and under-risen Dampfnudeln cook dense in the middle while the bottom browns too soon.

3. 3

   Shape the dumplings

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board, divide it into 12 pieces, and pull each piece into a tight ball with the seam underneath. Tight shaping matters because a smooth skin holds the gas inside; a ragged ball splits and lets the dumpling flatten. Cover them and let them puff for 20 to 25 minutes.

4. 4

   Start the pan

   Use a wide heavy pan with a tight lid. Add the milk, butter, sugar, and pinch of salt, then warm it gently until the butter melts. Set the dumplings in with space between them, because they swell as they cook and need room to rise, not shove each other into doughy corners.

5. 5

   Keep lid shut

   Put the lid on and cook over low to medium-low heat for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not lift the lid. The trapped moisture cooks the tops, while the milk below reduces and the butter browns the bottoms; open the pan and the dumplings collapse before the crust has set. Listen near the end: bubbling turns to a soft frying sound when the milk is gone and the golden foot is forming.

6. 6

   Make vanilla sauce

   While the dumplings cook, heat the milk with the split vanilla pod until hot but not boiling, then let it stand 10 minutes so the milk takes the flavour. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a bowl, then slowly whisk in the hot milk. Return everything to the pan and stir over low heat until the sauce coats a spoon. Runter mit der Temperatur: hard heat scrambles yolks, low heat thickens them.

7. 7

   Serve at once

   Lift the lid only when the frying sound tells you the base has crusted, then take the pan off the heat and loosen the dumplings with a thin spatula. Serve them crust side up or torn open in shallow bowls, with warm Vanillesoße poured around, not buried over the crust. Schön ist, was schmeckt.

Chef Tips

• •Use a heavy pan with a lid that fits tight. A loose lid leaks the trapped moisture, and then the tops stay heavy while the bottoms darken too fast.
• •Listen to the pan. At first it bubbles from milk; near the end it changes to a quiet frying sound. That sound tells you the liquid has cooked off and the butter is building the crust.
• •Don't make the vanilla sauce from a packet. Milk, yolks, sugar, and vanilla are not difficult, and the packet tastes like the cupboard it sat in.
• •If the bottom browns before the dumplings are cooked, your heat is too high. Dampfnudeln are not fried buns. They are steamed first, crusted last.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be mixed and shaped up to the first rise, then covered and chilled overnight. Bring it back to room temperature before the final proof, or the centres will cook slowly.
• •Vanillesoße can be made up to 1 day ahead and chilled. Rewarm it gently over low heat, stirring, because boiling turns a smooth sauce grainy.
• •Cooked Dampfnudeln are best from the pan. Leftovers can be warmed in a covered pan with a spoon of milk, but the crust will never be quite the same.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)