Semmelknoedel (Austrian Bread Dumplings)

prep time:: 15 min
total time:: 45 min

Makes 6-8 dumplings

Of almost all the German/Austrian food I enjoy these are about my most favorite. I have fond memories of eating knoedel with goulash and the next day sliced up and fried with eggs. My mother was excellent at making “knoedel.” I will admit though that making knoedel is not easy. I’ve had many disappointing failures where the knoedel disintegrated in the pot while cooking, or just didn’t taste the same. I found the secret to be the bread. The recipe calls for day old bread. Well, day old white bread is not the same. American white bread is too airy and soft – jokingly my mother used to call it “balloon bread.” You’ve got to use good day old (stale not moldy) Kaiser rolls. Good luck.

ingredients

5-6 large Kaiser rolls (cut up into 1" cubes and well dried out)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 T butter
4 eggs
2-3 C milk
1 t salt
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped

directions

1
The bread must be thoroughly dried out. Don’t try to hurry to dry out the bread like heating it in the oven – it just doesn’t work. Place the dried out bread pieces into a large bowl.
2
Melt butter in a sauté pan and when hot add onions and cook until onions are soft. Add the milk to the mixture and just heat up the milk until it is warm. Pour this mixture over the bread and lightly mix it up. Do not over mix. Then add the eggs, salt and parsley and lightly mix again. Let the mixture stand covered for about 20 minutes.
3
Meanwhile get a large pot of salted water to boiling. Moisten your hands with water and make the dumplings by rolling and squeezing them in your hands so they are about tennis ball sized portions. They should be smooth and round. When you have formed all the bread into dumplings place them one at a time into the boiling water. Let the dumplings boil for about 5 minutes, reduce the heat and let them simmer for about 10 minutes more. Remove the dumplings and they are ready to be served with your goulash.