October 29th
2006
We are still enjoying what is to become one of the hottest Octobers on record here in Bavaria - it sure looks like someone up there is making up for the cold and wet summer we had right after the World Cup. Everyone is out soaking up as much sun as possible, yet I'm sure, a pretty nasty and cold winter is already lurking around the corner - to bite us when we least expect it. Another positive side effect of the non-stop sunshine: My grandfather's orchard had a wonderful huge crop of Zwetschgen, a small oval plum of blue color with yellow flesh. Online research pointed me to another type of plum, the Damson plum. Same thing? I never (knowingly) had Damson plums before so I can't tell for sure! Anyone?
Zwetschgen are key for one of southern Germany's most typical and coveted cake, the Zwetschgendatschi. To me, they are the key ingredient for a fantastic sweet dumplings recipe, Zwetschgenknödel (plum dumplings). Sweet dumplings have deep roots and are well known in German, Austrian and Bohemian kitchens, the base dough can either be prepared with curd, semolina or yeast (EDIT: or potatoes - thanks for reminding me, Kaltmamsell!). Here I am again blaming it on my parentage, but growing up in the house of a Bohemian grandpa and a kitchen goddess -my grandma- I had no choice other than to become an addict to Zwetschgenknödel, plum filled steamed yeast dumplings. Well, I'm also a fan of traditional Bohemian Sauerbraten served with sliced yeast dumplings, but that's a whole different story.
The five Zwetschgen trees in our orchard guaranteed proper supply throughout the summer months. Between July and September there was little chance you'd not see them on our kitchen table in the one or other form. We always had funny competitions about who could eat the most dumplings - while I usually dropped out after six or seven, my grandpa and my dad went far beyond.
Sadly, my beloved grandma died way too young. We found some of her favorite recipes written down on greasy memos, yet some of our all-time favorites were still missing. The years went by, but each year right about when the Zwetschgen season began I kept thinking about her delicious recipes, became nostalgic and thought about alternative ways to make her dumplings. But never had the guts.
Then, last Christmas, one of the few occasions our whole family comes together, we once again began raving about grandma's recipes, when my mum suddenly had an idea: Why not get in touch with her nanny, who had cooked side by side with my grandma for years? Maybe she still had a copy of the recipe? I wrote a little letter to the old lady who I always admired for her out-of-this-world cakes. And not only did she send the recipe for the dumplings, but some other recipes we thought we had lost as well. Now the pressure was on: Would my attempt to make them live up to my grandma's dumplings or would I ruin a picture perfect memory?
The recipe worked like a charm. In fact, I made them seven times over the last weeks and with the beautiful weather we're having, local Zwetschgen are still available. However, my gut feel tells me that this weekend may be the last opportunity for this year. The recipe is straightforward and I double checked it with various other sources, from which it doesn't differ too much. Yet, having the original -grandma approved- recipe gave me the confidence to eventually give it a shot. Contrary to many other recipes, these dumplings are not boiled in water, they are steamed, producing a fluffy and non-slobbery dumpling.
Yeast dough: Sieve the flour into a bowl and make a hollow in the center. Pour the lukewarm milk into the well and add the crumbled yeast. Carefully stir once or twice. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and let the pre-dough rise for about 15 minutes, the surface will start to look bubbly.
Add the remaining ingredients (sugar, egg yolk, pinch of salt, cooled down melted butter) and knead well, either by hand or with your kitchen machine until dough can be easily removed from the bowl (non-sticky). If it still feels too sticky, add a tad more flour. Let the covered bowl rest again in a warm place for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare the plums: Wash and slice them on one side to easily remove the stone, yet try not to cut them in two separate halves (see picture above) - it will make it easier to fill and shape the dumplings later on. Set aside.
You will need a clean, sanitized dishcloth. Pick an older (not your most treasured) one and boil it for 5 minutes in simmering water, to get rid of any detergent residues in the cloth. Rinse thoroughly in cold water, don't burn your fingers. Squeeze it.
Take a big pot and fill it about 1/3 with water. Now attach the treated dishcloth to the pot with knots or needles (see picture to the right). The bottom of the cloth should not touch the water. Brush cloth with melted butter to prevent the dumplings from sticking.
Knead dough briefly and toss on a floured pastry board. Cut into ~12 equal pieces and form little discs, then place one plum on top of each, fill each with a sugar cube or half a teaspoon of cinnamon sugar (or vanilla sugar) and surround it with the dough. Form a neat little dumpling and double check that the plum is completely covered by the dough, to guarantee that the fruit juice stays inside.
Bring the pot of water to a boil (if you don't trust your hearing, you can peak under the cloth) and carefully place a few of the dumplings inside the dishcloth - side by side, not stacked. Close the lid and let the water simmer at medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, the steam alone will cook the dumplings.
Now separate dumplings and remove with two tablespoons. Arrange on a plate, drizzle with a bit of melted or even browned butter as well as cinnamon or vanilla sugar. Warning: consume in small doses, it's highly addictive! ;)
Zwetschgenknödel
Recipe source: my grandma/aunt Kate
Prep time: 1 hour, cooking: about 15min.
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Ingredients (yields about 12 dumplings):
1/2 cube (~20g) of fresh yeast
125ml lukewarm milk
250g all-purpose flour (type 405)
a pinch of salt
3 tbsp sugar
1 egg yolk
25g melted butter
about 12 pitted Zwetschgen (plums)
about 12 sugar cubes/extra cinnamon or vanilla sugar (for the filling & to serve)
extra melted butter (for preparing the dishcloth & to serve)
hi there, just a note to say that these look just like damson plums we have in the uk.
christine
ps the dumplings look great
Grandma-approved recipes are always better! These look really delicious!
I remember having something similar in Vienna, but I think mine where filled with orange colored plums. DELICIOUS! Now I can try my best and recreate the recipe, thanks for sharing your recipes.
Steamed? How exotic! But I can see the point immediately. Thanks for this recipe, I was never completely happy with the potatoe nor the semolina doughs that my family uses for Zwetschgenknödel. This alternative might be the perfect solution.
(Your story brings back memories of childhood Fridays when in autumn my mother used to make these dumplings for lunch, serving them so fresh that she was constantly in and out of the kitchen during the meal.)
hmmm...as usual, lovely pictures and a very easy sounding recipe. Now, my question as an exiled Preuß in Bavaria - can those dumplings be eaten cold as well? I'd love to make those for some friends, but rather well beforehand, in case of utter failure...
Here in the States (well, the Northwest at least) they are called "Italian prunes". But I think some marketing types are trying to change it to "Italian plums" since people have such a negative association with prunes.
They look delightful. The only thing I've had that is even close is Chinese Steamed Dim Sum.
These look more delicious, but have a more complicated name!
i've never seen zwetschkenknoedel steamed... lovely idea! must try this, even though i have yet to find damsons in this country - couldn't even get them at the borough market yesterday. I might just have to this with the bigger plums that abound here, you've so whetted my appetite!
This is one of the most original (and yummy!) recipe I've ever read about...I know this is a treasured recipe to you, but would it work with other types of fruit? (I'm thinking about wintery fruit such as apples and pears)? Great website, btw.
This looks great! I think I will use my bamboo steamers for this- have you ever tried that? As another commenter indicated earlier, these look like Chinese dim sum, or bau, which I also make. Mine usually have savoury meats inside, and the bamboo does impart its own mild sweet flavour.
I'm guessing I could use what we call in Canada 'all-purpose' flour? Or do you recommend a softer flour, what we call 'cake and pastry flour'? Or 'bread' flour? I'm afraid I have no idea what 'type 405' might be!
Wow! They sound fantastic. This might be a stupid question, but would they also work cooked in an ordinary bamboo steamer basket? Does the cloth do anything special? I've never seen something steamed like that before.
that´s such a sweet story. I love it when lost recipes turn up.
Kaltmamsell, Your childhood memories are very similar to my own memories. Especially the "in and out of the kitchen"! And somehow all family members incidentally used to drop by on special food occasions like "Schwammerlsupp'n und Dotsch, Buchteln (Dampfnudeln) and Zwetschgenknödel..."
Maike, These Zwetschgenknödel can be eaten cold as well, Oliver would give you two thumbs up! I still prefer them fresh and hot, straight out of the pot. I remember my grandma sautéed them in butter the next day, maybe this could be an option?
Anne, Marketing strikes again ;) Also I don't have a clue, what people have against prunes. I love 'em!
Scott, Be assured, their name in Czech is even more complicated - my grandpa tried to teach me some words, but I didn't even manage to remember the term for these dumplings.
Johanna, Sorry for wetting your appetite ;) I knew we both have the same weak spot for confection of pastry. (Is that the proper term for "Mehlspeise"?)
Ales, Good question. The more I think about it, the more I want to try it out myself... The chosen fruits shouldn't become completely mushy when cooked. Maybe we should both make a batch with different fruits, so the likelihood of success will be greater :) I'd probably try apples (cut into cubes) and grapes (seeded or seedless) during the cold season.
Nerine, Lady Lunchalot,
I don't see a reason, why a bamboo steamer shouldn't work equally well. This is just the traditional way my grandma used to prepare them. Born and raised on the German countryside they probably never heard of something like a bamboo steamer ;) And the used flour is all-purpose flour (I adapted the ingredient list accordingly).
Nicky, these look amazing! We've got something called "kreek" in Estonia, which I suspect are the UK's damson plums. However, during my seven years in Scotland I never saw one, so I cannot confirm it:( Sadly, it's too late to try them in Estonia now, as it was snowing when I drove to work this morning. I might try them will small plums however..
These look delicious!
Are they ever made with apricots? Hmmm, even if it isn't traditional, I'm thinking that apricots centers would be really good too.
-Elizabeth
In Holland we make the distinction between 'pruimen'and 'kwetsen' (quetchen?). The last are harder to come by and varieties of prunes are also sold as kwetsen. I learned that kwetsen are best for baking and cooking. They taste more sour than prunes, even though they contain more sugar, but that is why they are so good in cakes and bakes. I wish I had some at the moment to try out your recipe!
Oh, Zwetschgenknoedel....How I dream of thee! Thank you so much for the recipe. I harbor a deep love of any plum desserts, but these are near the top of the list. If you made these SEVEN times in the last weeks, any chance you have some leftovers you wouldn't mind Fedexing to NYC??? :)
I love the sugar cube. Reminds me of a few 'experiments' I did when I lived in San Francisco.
Culinary experiments, of course...
What a nice story, I am so glad you found the recipe.
Wie lange habe ich schon keine richtigen Zwetschgenknödel gegessen! Bei uns in Restaurants bekommt man leider lediglich die Topfenvariante, nicht zu vergleichen mit den richtigen Hefeknödeln aus dem Dampferl. Tausend Dank für das Rezept!!
oh, how I wish I could have one of your delicious looking dumplings right now...don't you want to open a little shop here right around the corner?? =)
love your pictures - very original!
Very nice blog!! I was nicely surprised to see so many good recipes and beautiful photos. Congratulations!
Vivianne
Oh wow these look so wonderful!
Looks delicious! I love those plums...we know them in Vancouver as Italian Prune Plums...or Italian Plums or Prune Plums...either way they are plentiful and are great to bake with...thanks for the new recipe
What is the equivalent to 1/2 cube of yeast? They look really lovely. Thank you for the recipe!
I am super excited to try this (though I think I will go for the bamboo steamer method)...should be a challenge to find sugar cubes though...I cannot imagine where one buys them. Silly, but true.
Thanks for the lovely story and (as always) photos. Beautiful.
hi there! Great work on your blog. I added your blog as a link on mine. Hope you dun mind. shaz, a fellow foodie blogger.
Oh Goodness, this is a Czech specialty as well that I just LOVE. We call them Kynute Knedliky and I've blogged about them as well:
http://na-zdravi.blogspot.com/2006_05_21_archive.html
We made them with peaches but I have to agree that they are best with exactly those plums that you used. My grandma in Czech makes them just like that. Yours look so beautiful and thank you for bringing back childhood memories =)
[...] 29.10.06: Die schönsten Fotos gibts bei delicious:days, heute werden Zwetschkenknödel präsentiert [...]
Die gab es früher auch immer bei meiner Omi. Wenn ich noch Zwetschen auftreiben kann, werde ich das Rezept auf jeden Fall gleich nachkochen.
I love your website - I read it all the time. I have a German mother and a Czech father and would love to surprise them with an "echte" Bohemian Sauerbraten. Could you do a recipe on your blog or point me in the right direction? Thanks!
These look delicious! I'll have to try them. They remind me of the savory Chinese steamed dumplings only w/ sweet filling.
I too am curious to know how many grams of yeast is in a cube. I did some googling to find out ...
17gm in Finnland (I think)
23gm in USA
.6oz(17gm) in other parts of USA - according to Fleischmann Yeast, this is equivalent to 8gms active dry yeast....
100gm at the shop down the street (Toronto)
45gm in Germany (I think)
Ohoh... is it indeed 45 grams in your cube of fresh yeast, Nicky?
-Elizabeth
So that's real witchcraft, Nicky - your weather forecast on sunday was totally right (last days of summer before its getting ugly cold) and your recipe fits perfect to this (and to Allerheiligen with your memories of your grandma). Although I really like the potatoe version (bohemian style with lots of butter, breadcrumbs and sugar on top, I show you!) I like very much to try this one. I have seen the technique from my mother-in-law this summer when she was making Dampfnudeln. But im not sure if it works in a bamboo basket, because the steampressure may not be high enough? Otherwise, looking at baozi, dim sum... And the yellow plums mentioned in Austria, may be they were aprciots? And what are the sweet, big, juicy ones we know here in the south from Italy i. e. in English - plums or prunes?
David, David, David, can't build up a momentum and then not deliver! I really now want to hear that story! ;)
Hi Pille, I'm sure the smaller plums will work just fine, let me know how they turned out! I hope you can enjoy your first weeks back in Estonia - even with snow. Our late summer has finally come to a sudden end, we got snow over night!
Hi Luisa, Netherlands would have just worked OK, but NYC? I guess by the time the dumplings made it there, they might have either been eaten by a hungry FEDEX person, or by a customs officer making random checks...
Hi Julia, "here around the corner" would be the Netherlands, right? We could ship! Just kidding ;)
Dianka, Great to know that one can also use peaches. Now I'm going to try to say 10 x "Kynute Knedliky" without getting my tongue twisted!
Rachael, If you do try the bamboo steamer, please let me know how it worked out! Sounds like it could be a good alternative, please also note Sebastian's concerns (see his comment for details). Re: sugar cubes, no need to worry, plain (cinnamon) sugar will do just fine!
Hey Jasmin, The Bohemian Sauerbraten is still a dreaded topic, especially not having the original recipe - this one is still "lost"... I may give it a try at some point but need to do a little more research myself beforehand.
Hi Elizabeth (and Meme), I indeed was referring to German yeast cubes with (usually) 42 grams in weight and just added the info to the ingredients list. Thanks for googling about yeast cubes, I have to admit it never occurred to me that they may have different sizes. On second thought, it's actually quite logical!
Hi Sebastian, Witchcraft would be really cool, but I guess it was pure coincidence. How about a next cook-off with a Bohemian theme? You'd head up the potato version, I take charge of the yeast dumplings. My last attempt to make my grandma's version of a potato apple strudel failed miserably, so I could really need some good advice from Mister Herdeflüsterer ;)
Great blog! I too had a Bavarian Oma and long remember her special seasonal recipes. She always baked a Zwetschgenkuchen when the Italian Prune Plums were in season. After Oma was gone I found her cookbook from 1927, Aechte Deutsche Kochkunst. From that one book I was able to find most of her special recipes written on scraps of paper tucked into the pages.
Thank you for the confirmation, Nicky. I'm really excited now that I know exactly how much yeast go into the dumplings. (Of course, I'm not exactly certain when I'm going to get a chance to try making these. I did see Italian prune plums at the vegetable market but it was LAST week.)
-Elizabeth
I prepared last month ZWetschgenknödel too. But in boiled water and with an other recipe. Next time I will try yours, they looks so delicious:)
here mines:
http://dilekce.blogspot.com/2006/10/aga-lokmasinin-kardesi.html
Tausend Dank for the recipe: it's marvellous, and I've been looking for a good Knödel recipe for so long! (You're right, the dumplings are terribly addictive...)
Oh what memories.... my Mom (from Vienna) used to make them with potato dough, filled them at times with prune plums or pitted apricots - I was in charge of putting the sugar cube in!!, boil them and serve them with bread crumbs browned in butter..... oh were they ever delicious!!!
I just made Zwetschkenknodel but with my Apricots from our tree that I had frozen. My father made these ever year until he died in 1970. He used to make them in Vienna. I made them with potato dough and boiled them.
Thanks for your recipe.
Enid Kurzweil Sterling
I am very excited about your site and the links attached. I’ve been procrastinating today and when food is involved I continued my procra… yet an additional 3 hours. Ooops, but yum. Congradulations on your talents. I wish I had one of those plum dumplings right now. :-)
Your website with all your charming stories, etc. brings back some wonderful memories of my year spent in Germany. While skiing in the Austrian Alps I treated myself each day at the ski lodge to what I remember be called an "obstknoedel". They were very similar in appearance to your dumplings. However these delicious treats served hot out of the steamer were the size of a grapefruit and filled with strawberry or blackberry fruit preserves and topped with a vanilla flavored sauce. Yum! Could I use your grandmother's recipe to recreate this wonderful treat? Or can you provide me with a recipe? Danke!
Vanessa, Your description sounds very much like what we call "Germknödel", they are usually filled with plum sauce and served with vanilla sauce. My recipe for the dough should work just fine, but the size and therefore the cooking time needs to be adjusted, by how much I can't say off the top of my head. Germknödel have been on my to-try-list for quite some time, maybe I get around posting a recipe soon...
My grandmother, which is from the region around the Hungarian Balaton-lake, used to make these Zwetchgenknödel (sometimes with "Marillen"/apricots) as well but boiled and with potatoe dough. Like you primarely, I have no recipe(s) from her. She used to have them written on small paper sheeds in an old German scripture and language and they are more general informations about the ratio of the ingredients than recipes. But I tried them pretty often and found my own recipe since I still have none of hers.
Liebe Grüße aus dem fernen Singapur
Brigitte
Even though I am vegan, I would love to eat this again. I used to love my grandmother's Mirabellenknödel (my mother is more of a Zwetschgenknödel person). One day I will experiment and try to make this without eggs or dairy.
Here is a recipe that you can easily make without eggs and dairy. I am really surprised that this easier, basic potato dough recipe is not found on the internet. This is the recipe that my father, Fredric Kurzweil, used to make when he was in young in Vienna (1920s etc) and I found it in a cookbook called "Someone's in the Kitchen with Oma"
ZWETCHKENKNöDEL
Zwetschken are plums (the kind they make prunes out of). Knödel are dumplings. The word is utterly unprounouceable unless you are German. You can also make this with apricots, in which case it is called "Marillenknödel".
6 medium potatoes, boiled in their skin
2 cups flour
A little salt
1 egg
Plums or Apricots
Sugar Cubes
Peel and rice the potatoes onto a pastry board. Add the flour and salt and mix. make a well in the center, break the egg into it, and work the mixture into a soft dough.
Roll out the dough, on a heavily floured board, to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares. Put a piece of pitted fruit with a sugar cube in the middle of each square, and fold the dough around the fruit till you have a perfectly (??) round knodel.
Simmer the dumplings in a large pot of water till they're done. They need to float on the surface but not fall apart (about 10 to 15 minutes).
Meanwhile brown some dry breadcrumbs (about 1/2 cup) in about 4 tablesppoons butter (I have been using olive oil) and add about 1/4 cup sugar ( I use stevia). Roll them around untill they're completely covered, and then eat them : ).
This makes about 12 to 15 knodel. Three per person is about right.
Thanks, Enid
enidks1@cs.com
This reminds me of my grandmother's recipes. She was born in Bohemia and was a wonderful cook, her apple cake was the best. I'll send you an email with her recipe, maybe you want to try it?
Enid, Thanks for typing down the recipe! Sounds like a great alternative, I remember my grandma using a similar dough for one of her apple strudels. Will have to try it!
Hi Krischtina, Absolutely! Looking forward to your recipe!
To Krischtina:
YES, please email your Grandma's apple strudel recipe. That would be great! I'll let you know how it comes out when I try it (one of these days).
Enid
enidks1@cs.com
hey
i made your knodels yesterday they where great. But i added some tips from my own grandmother and i thought i would share them with you. She makes them with (dried) raisins that have been soaked in lukewarm water. But i know you don't really like raisins so maybe not for you! And also she says you have to let the dough rise twice. Second time after you have formed them into balls. And she serves them with a sauce made out of cassonade, butter and milk.
greets from Belgium
ps adore your site! i sometimes even check it twice a day for possible updates but am a silent reader.
Ariane, Thank you for your lovely feedback and the tips from your grandma! I'm touched by the fact, that one of my readers remembers the fact, that I don't like raisins ;)
This is one austrian food that will ALWAYS remind me of my oma,,she finds the damson plums at a little local italian grocery store,,but when summer is just starting she uses apricots,,DELISH! im starving for these now..
Jessica, I'm sure they are almost as delicious with apricots... Mirabellenknödel....yum! And the damson plum season is just around the corner ;)
Lovely fruit that I am very fond it. Your recipe looks delicious, I can almost smell it from across my screen, if that is ever made possible.