If you’re on the lookout for a new special side dish, you need to try out these classic Southern German bread dumplings, also known as Semmelknödel.
In Germany, these are beloved specialties.
These dumplings are especially great to prepare when you’ve got some older rolls or slices of white bread left over that you would like to use up.
The buns are cut into chunks, soaked in warm milk, and mixed into a dough with some additional flour and eggs. Parsley is typically added, but thyme also works quite nicely.
Here’s another tip: Prepare the recipe with leftover soft pretzels instead of white bread! This is another popular variety that’s just as delicious as the bread version.
The dumplings pair well with savory meat dishes, and green salads. They also make a nice addition to broths and soups, in place of noodles or matzoh balls. I personally love them with a classic Bavarian cabbage salad with warm bacon.
Whether intentionally or because you just can‘t manage to eat them all in one sitting, here is a great way to jazz them up the next day:
Cut the dumplings into slices and fry them in a pan with some butter until crispy. Not only is this really tasty, it’s a simple save some time in the kitchen the next day.
The only thing you should avoid is heating these up in your microwave. This tends to extract all the moisture, making the dumplings dry and flavorless.
What will you serve these with, in an effort to use up some of your kitchen leftovers in a tasty and satisfying way? Let us know in the comments!
Saute the onions in a pan with the butter until golden brown. Set aside to cool for a moment.
In a bowl, thoroughly knead the eggs, flour, salt, parsley, onions, and the soaked buns until combined thoroughly.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Wet your hands (for a better grip) and form 8-10 dumplings of equal size. Carefully place them in the boiling water and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. You'll know they're ready when they float up to the surface on their own and gently rotate. They should feel firm when you remove them from the water.
Nutritional Information*
Nutrition Facts
Classic German Bread Dumplings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 376Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 4g20%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 134mg45%
Sodium 597mg25%
Potassium 623mg18%
Total Carbohydrates 60g20%
Dietary Fiber 2g8%
Sugars 16g
Protein 17g34%
Vitamin A91%
Vitamin C69%
Calcium28%
Iron30%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Cooking by the Numbers…
Step One – Prepare the Bread
Slice the bread into small pieces and add them to a bowl. Pour milk on top of the buns and let them soak.
Step One – Sauté the Veggies
Dice the onions and parsley (optional). Add butter to a skillet and let warm for a minute or two on medium low.
Add the add onions and parsley and sauté until golden brown. Remove from pan and allow to cool.
Step Three – Blend
Add the parsley and onions to the bowl of bread and mix in the eggs, flour, and salt and knead until all of the ingredients are combined thoroughly.
Step Four – Form the Dumplings
Add water and a dash or two of salt to a large stockpot. Wet your hands (for a better grip) and form8-10 ballsof the same size.
Place them in the boiling water and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.
You’ll know they’re ready when they float up to the surface on their own and gently rotate. They should feel firm when you remove them from the water.
Whether you are using this to plan a menu for Oktoberfest or just for everyday fare, these dumplings are a perfect excuse to let your bread get too old!
There are bunch of different ways to prepare these – both sweet and savory. For the sweeter side of things, explore our desserty German Dampfnudel dumplings recipe here.
Have you had these before? If so what is your favorite way to prepare them? Tell us in the comments below!
*Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Nina-Kristin Isensee
Nina lives in Iserlohn, Germany and holds an MA in Art History (Medieval and Renaissance Studies). She is currently working as a freelance writer in various fields. She enjoys travel, photography, cooking, and baking. Nina tries to cook from scratch every day when she has the time and enjoys trying out new spices and ingredients, as well as surprising her family with new cake creations.
German potato dumplings, also known as kartoffelklöße or kartoffelknödel, are unique spheres of seasoned potatoes and starch. There are many ways to make classic German potato dumplings, including some using all or part raw potatoes, some using wheat flour, and some using part wheat flour and part starch.
Stir everything together until the wet and dry ingredients are combined and you don't see any more dry flour. The dough might look a little lumpy, but that's okay! Overworking the dough is one of the easiest ways to end up with tough dumplings.
Bread dumpling recipes are varied across the region, but in general, they use either flour or stale bread, yeast (or other leavening agents), eggs, salt, and a liquid for binding.And then herbs, dried meats, fat, and other ingredients can be added.
It's best to have your lid ready: Immediately add about 3 tablespoons of water to the pan, just enough to cover the base of the dumplings, then cover and cook for 3–4 minutes, or until the water has evaporated. Lift the lid and allow the dumpling to cook for another 30 seconds, to allow the bottoms to get extra crispy.
Traditionally dumplings are made from twice the weight of self-raising flour to tallow, bound together by cold water to form a dough and seasoned with salt and pepper but can also be made using self-raising flour and butter. Balls of this dough are dropped into a bubbling pot of stew or soup, or into a casserole.
These potato dumplings are deceptively fluffy! You will usually see these potato dumplings, or Kartoffelklöße (pronounced kartoff-el-kleuz-ze) or Knödel, on the side of our favourite meat dishes, like Sauerbraten, Roast Pork or Beef Rouladen.
A pinch of salt seasons the dumplings and enhances the flavors of the other ingredients. Cold butter or margarine is cut into the flour mixture to bind the dry ingredients together. It also keeps the dumplings light and tender. Whole milk helps create a smooth, moist dough.
Homemade dumplings can fall apart for a number of different reasons, or any combination of them. Often they burst during cooking because they have too much filling for the amount of dough. Some doughs are too dry, so the dumplings won't stay sealed. Others can be too wet and sticky and end up tearing.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook dumplings in batches of about eight until they are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the dumplings to a serving platter. Serve warm with the dipping sauce.
Traditionally, dumplings are made on the eve of Chinese new year, and a small coin is hidden inside one. Whoever finds the coin is said to have good fortune for the new year! This is particularly the case for 'water dumplings' (水饺) – those boiled in water rather than pan fried.
You don't need speciality dumpling flour to make these wrappers – regular plain, all-purpose flour is absolutely fine. You could also use bread flour if you have it. Water. This recipe is a hot water dough, which I find a lot easier to work with.
Cover and bring to a vigorous boil. Add roughly one cup of cold water and return to boil while covered. Repeat this step again. The dumplings will be completely cooked and ready when they float on the surface of the boiling water.
Some flours that you may want to try would be bread, pastry, cake, or almond because they are a softer flour which will make your dumplings feel lighter and fluffier. Let me know if you like how they turned out.
How do you know when dumplings are done? Most recipes will give you a time to cook them—the one I use says 10 minutes without a lid on the pot and then 10 minutes with a lid, so 20 minutes total in simmering soup broth. To test, take one out and open it up—if it's done in the middle, it's done.
To make spaetzle, you just mix flour, egg, and a bit of milk into a pancake batter-like consistency. Then you drop little lumps of the batter into some salted boiling water. After a moment, the spaetzle float to the top of the pot, and they're ready to scoop out and eat.
As long as they're not pre-deep fried and contain whole, healthy ingredients they are an okay option, according to Austin. Aside from meat quality and how the dumplings have been cooked, the vegetable content (or lack thereof) is also crucial in knowing whether dumplings are a healthy food option.
If you plan on making German spaetzle often, you might want to invest in a spaetzle maker to help with the process. But if you have never made spaetzle before and don't have one, you can absolutely make this recipe just using a colander or steamer with large holes on the bottom.
Sauerbraten (pronounced [ˈzaʊ̯ɐˌbʁaːtn̩]) is a traditional German roast of heavily marinated meat. It is regarded as a national dish of Germany, and is frequently served in German-style restaurants internationally.
Introduction: My name is Tish Haag, I am a excited, delightful, curious, beautiful, agreeable, enchanting, fancy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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