How many times have you been in a dilemma about what to serve as a side dish? Potatoes, bread, boiled rice, noodles? How about something different, bread dumplings for example?
Bread dumplings are a traditional Bavarian side dish, made from bread, milk, onion, eggs, and herbs and are among the most beloved staples of Alpine home cooking. They are made from cubes of old bread soaked in milk and eggs, seasoned with onion, herbs, or bacon, and shaped into round dumplings that are gently cooked in salted water. They are usually served alongside meat dishes with plenty of sauce. You can serve them in the form of balls (knödel) or as a loaf cut into slices. I personally prefer them as a sliced loaf.
The preparation is quite simple. You need a moderate amount of yesterday’s bread, one or two eggs, milk, salt, ground pepper, oil, onion, a bunch of parsley, a tablespoon of flour.
Cut the bread into small cubes. Mix the eggs, milk, pepper and salt with a hand whisk. Pour the mixture over the bread and mix well with a spatula to moisten the bread cubes.
Finely chop the parsley and onion. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion until it turns golden brown. Add the parsley and fry everything together for another minute, stirring constantly. Remove the pan and wait for the onion to cool. Shake it into a bowl with the bread and mix everything well. Let it stand until the bread softens and soaks in the milk.
Stir the flour into the mixture. Wet your hands with cold water and form dumplings of any size you like.
Place a pot of salted water on the stove. When the water boils, place the bread dumplings in it and cook them over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Make sure the water doesn’t boil too much, as the dumplings can fall apart during cooking.
But I prefer to shape the loaf and wrap it in a kitchen towel, on which I have previously sprinkled breadcrumbs.
Cut the cooked loaf into two to three centimeter thick slices.
If you want, you can freeze the slices (or dumplings) for next time.
And last but not least, let your imagination run free.