Ingredients
For the Dampfnudeln:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp active dry yeast, or instant yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk, at room temperature
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, room temperature
For the Pan:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter
German vanilla sauce, for serving (click link for recipe)
browned butter, optional (drizzle over the dumplings followed by the vanilla sauce)
Preparations
Place the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, egg, melted butter and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer. (Active dry yeast nowadays does not need to be dissolved first.)
With the dough hook attached, mix the dough until it comes together (add a little more milk if needed) and then continue to knead for about 4 minutes. You should have a soft and pliable dough. Spray the bowl with some oil, shape the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place to rise for 60-90 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size. Punch down the dough. Place it on a lightly floured work surface and cut it into 8 roughly equal pieces. I often weigh the pieces, added a little more dough from the larger ones to the smaller ones just because I like them to be as uniform in size as possible (they'll be approximately 140grams/5 ounces each). Shape the dough into individual balls, squeezing the seams together at the bottom and then lay the balls on the lightly floured work surface, seam side down, and spread apart to give them room to expand. Cover with a kitchen towel and let them rise in a warm place for another 30-60 minutes or until puffy. Place the milk, butter and sugar in a large non-stick pan with high sides (non-stick is a must). I use a 5 quart 12" ceramic saute pan that fits 8 Dampfnudeln perfectly. Heat the milk to a low simmer, stirring until the butter and sugar is melted. Place the Dampfnudeln in the pan. Don't smash them together, they need to have some room to expand. Return the milk to a very low simmer. Dampfnudeln are cooked not by boiling but by steaming them.Place the lid on the pan. Let the dumplings cook for about 30 minutes. Whatever you do, do NOT open the lid while the dumplings are cooking. The release of the built up steam and introduction to cooler air will cause the dumplings to collapse. I like to use a pan with a glass lid so I can see what's going on inside. After about 30 minutes the dumplings will have risen beautifully and will be cooked through. Their interiors will be soft and fluffy. At this point the final step is to remove the lid, increase the heat just a little, and cook for just a few minutes longer allow any remaining liquid to evaporate while simultaneously allowing the bottom of the dumplings to brown. Just be careful not to let them burn. Serve the Dampfnudeln drizzled with some browned butter (optional) and homemade German vanilla sauce. ( for the sauce, kindly see my next post)