Germknödel

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Kitchen scale
• •Steamer basket or wide lidded pot with insert
• •Parchment paper

Instructions

1. 1

   Start the dough

   Warm the milk to blood heat, about 35C, because yeast wakes in warmth and dies when you scald it. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a bowl, then add the milk, egg, melted cooled butter, and lemon zest. Work it into a soft dough and knead 8 to 10 minutes, until it turns smooth and pulls from the bowl; that kneading builds the skin that holds the gas later.

2. 2

   Prove once

   Cover the dough and leave it warm until doubled, about 60 minutes. Don't rush this rise. The yeast is feeding and filling the dough with fine bubbles, and those bubbles become the light crumb you want instead of a boiled lump.

   If the kitchen is cold, put the covered bowl in the switched-off oven with the oven light on. Warm, not hot. Yeast dough likes a coat, not a sauna.
3. 3

   Fill and seal

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and divide it into 4 pieces. Flatten each piece into a thick round, put about 30g Powidl in the centre, then pull the dough up around it and pinch the seam shut hard. Seal it well because thin jam leaks, but even good Powidl will find a lazy seam.

4. 4

   Prove again

   Set the dumplings seam side down on floured parchment, cover loosely, and let them rise 25 to 35 minutes until puffy and lighter under your fingers. This second rise matters most. It lifts the filled dumpling from the inside, so the dough steams fluffy all the way to the Powidl.

5. 5

   Steam gently

   Set a steamer over simmering water, or use a wide pot with 2cm water, the tablespoon of sugar, and a pinch of salt, with a greased insert above it. Put the dumplings in with room between them, cover tightly, and steam 18 to 20 minutes. Keep the water at a steady simmer, not a hard boil, because rough heat tightens the outside and can tear the seam before the middle has risen.

6. 6

   Finish with poppy

   While the dumplings steam, melt the serving butter gently and mix the ground poppy seeds with the icing sugar. When the time is up, lift the lid away from you and take the dumplings out carefully. Spoon over the butter first so the poppy sugar clings, then shower on the poppy mixture. Eat them at once, while the crumb is soft and the Powidl sits dark in the middle.

Chef Tips

• •Use thick Powidl, not loose plum jam. Powidl is cooked down until dark and dense, so it stays where you put it; syrupy jam leaks into the dough and makes a wet pocket.
• •Leave space in the steamer. Germknödel grow as they cook, and crowding makes them press into each other before the surface has set.
• •Don't lift the lid while they steam. The dumpling needs steady heat around it; a cold draft wrinkles the skin and can collapse the rise.
• •If you serve vanilla sauce, keep it light and pour it around the dumpling, not over the poppy sugar. Butter and Mohnzucker are the clean southern finish.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can take its first rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight; bring it back to room temperature before shaping so the yeast wakes evenly.
• •Shape and fill the dumplings up to 2 hours ahead, then refrigerate covered. Let them stand at room temperature until puffy before steaming, because cold dough goes into the pot heavy.
• •Grind and mix the poppy sugar a day ahead and keep it covered. Melt the butter only when serving, because warm butter carries the poppy sugar properly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 230g)