Rookie Pan
← All recipes
Austria, Europe

Germknödel (Austrian Steamed Yeast Dumpling)

A big, fluffy steamed yeast dumpling filled with thick plum butter, drowned in melted butter and showered with poppy seed sugar, as served in Austrian ski huts.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time38 min
Rising+ 1 h 5 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsThe filling gets much hotter than the dough. Always let the steam out and wait a moment before eating. Where poppy seeds are restricted, use ground black sesame or finely ground walnuts instead.

Method

  1. Warm the milk in a small pan on low heat for , only until it feels lukewarm on your finger (about 37 °C). Off the heat, stir in the yeast and sugar and leave for 10 minutes until foamy on top. Milk that is too hot kills the yeast and the dough won't rise.

    Add in this stepMilk 85 mlInstant dried yeast 3 gSugar 15 g

    low heat

  2. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl, make a well and add the yeasty milk, yolks, soft butter and lemon zest. Bring it together with a spatula, then knead by hand for until the dough is smooth, no longer sticks to your hands or the bowl, and slowly springs back when pressed. If it is very sticky, add flour only a teaspoon at a time.

    Add in this stepPlain flour 160 gSalt 1 pinchEgg yolks 1Unsalted butter, softened 20 gLemon (finely grated zest only) ½

  3. Cover the bowl and leave in a warm place for , until doubled in size. It is ready when a finger poked into it leaves a hole that stays.

  4. Mix the powidl with the cinnamon. Press the air out of the dough and divide it into equal pieces, one per serving. Flatten each into a disc about 12 cm across, put the powidl in the centre, gather the edges over it and pinch firmly to seal. Turn seam side down, shape into a smooth ball and set on a floured tray with plenty of space between them. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise again for .

    Add in this stepPowidl (thick plum butter) or very thick plum jam 70 gGround cinnamon 1 pinch

  5. Fill the pot under a 24 cm steamer generously with water, bring it to the boil on high heat, then turn down to medium heat so it steams steadily. Line the steamer with baking paper brushed with a little melted butter and set the dumplings well apart, as they double in size. Cover and steam for . Do not lift the lid at any point, or they will collapse.

    Add in this stepButter for pouring 5.5 g

    high heat→medium heat

  6. While they steam, melt the rest of the butter in a small pan on low heat for . Mix the poppy seeds with the icing sugar. Poppy seeds only release their flavour when ground, so if yours are whole, blitz them finely in a coffee or spice grinder.

    Add in this stepButter for pouring 50 gPoppy seeds, ground 20 gIcing sugar 20 g

    low heat

  7. When done, the dumplings are big, springy and slightly shiny. Lift them onto plates, prick the tops lightly with a fork to let the steam out, pour over plenty of melted butter and pile on the poppy seed sugar. Serve straight away.

Cook's tip

A loose seal lets the plum filling leak during steaming, so pinch the seam twice. If your steamer is small, steam in two batches rather than crowding them and keep the first batch in a covered dish. Leftovers come back to life with 5 minutes of steaming the next day.

Cooking it at camp

Make the dough at home and carry it, unrisen, in a sealed box in the cooler; it rises slowly at the campsite. No steamer? Use the traditional Austrian way: tie a damp cotton cloth tightly over a large pot with 3 cm of water, sit the dumplings on the cloth and cover with a lid or a large upturned bowl.