Dampfnudeln (Steamed Sweet Dumplings)
Dampfnudeln are Sweet Yeast Dumplings that are steamed in cream, butter and sugar. The dumplings are soft and fluffy, while the bottoms are coated with a slightly sticky caramel. As a child, these were served to met in a pool and coating of homemade vanilla sauce. Heaven!
Servings 8 dumplings
Equipment
- 1 12" non-stick pan with high sides and a glass lid
- 1 Fine Mesh Strainer for the vanilla sauce
Ingredients
For the Dampfnudeln:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled; European butter is recommended
- 1 large egg room temperature
For the steaming liquid:
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the Vanilla Sauce:
- 1 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean scraped OR 1 tablespoon quality pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
Make the Dampfnudeln dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, yeast*, salt, egg, melted butter and milk. *If using active dry yeast, it doesn't need to be dissolved first.)
- Using a dough hook, mix the dough until it comes together, only add more milk if needed. Knead for about 4 minutes. The dough may seem very soft and pliable, and that's okay. Once the dough doubled, and I shaped it, it was like working with Play Dough!
- Lightly grease a bowl with some oil or spray, and shape the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a draft-free warm place. NOTE: I use a proofing drawer. A preheated oven to WARM for one minute, then turned off also creates a warm environment for proofing dough. Cover the bowl with a clean plate, or plastic and allow the dough to rise for between 60-90 minutes, until it has doubled in size.
- In the meantime, make the Vanilla Sauce
Vanilla Sauce (this can be made up to 3 days ahead):
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt.
- In a medium saucepan bring the milk, heavy cream, and vanilla to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent it from scorching. Temper the egg and cornstarch mixture, by whisking in 1/2 cup of the hot milk . Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan, constantly whisking it into the hot milk to prevent clumping. Heat the mixture over medium heat until thickened. Do not bring the sauce to a boil!
- Strain the vanilla sauce through a fine mesh sieve. This should make about 2 ½ cups of vanilla sauce
- The sauce can be served immediately, or cover and store it in the refrigerator. The sauce can keep for up to 3 days. Can be served cold or reheated to serve warm.
- Makes about 2 1/2 cups of Vanilla Sauce
Shape the Dampfnudeln:
- Once the dough has doubled, punch the dough down. Place it on a lightly oiled (my preference) or floured work space and cut into roughly 8 pieces. My pieces weighted about 11 oz each. My kitchen scale is a tool that I always use when baking.
- 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.
- To shape the dough, press the dough into a rough round shape. Gently pull together four corners and gently twist, like a purse. Place the dough, seam side down, and gently roll with cupped hands until they are round. (I actually find this to be very therapeutic, as the dough is a dream to work with.)
- Place the dough balls on a parchment lined tray, and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let them rise in a warm place for another 30-60 minutes or until puffy.
- Place the milk, butter and sugar in a large 12-inch non-stick pan with high sides. Non-stick is essential, as the milk will evaporate and the sugar will develop into a beautiful caramelized crust.
- Heat the milk at a low simmer, stirring until the butter and sugar is melted.
- Place the Dampfnudeln in the pan. Leave enough room for each dumpling to expand. IMPORTANT NOTE: I had a 12-inch non-stick pan, with high sides and a tight-fitting glass lid. I was worried that my 11-oz dumplings were very crowded in the pan. I decided to just go ahead and steam them as is. The dumplings rose very high, and some stuck to my glass lid. I made a mental note to add non-stick spray to the glass lid in the future. Despite these challenges, the dumplings turned out perfectly fine.Return the milk to a very low simmer. are cooked not by boiling The Dampfnudeln are steamed, not boiled, so this is very important.Ideally, you want to use a glass lid so you can watch their progress. Place the lid on the pan. Let the dumplings cook for about 30 minutes.
- Under no circumstances, do NOT open the lid while the dumplings are cooking. The release of the steam can cause the dumplings to fail, by collapsing. That's why a glass lid is really helpful, so you can see how they are doing..
- After about 30 minutes the dumplings will have risen beautifully and will be cooked through. Do not expect the dumplings to be brown, as in baking rolls. They will remain a white-ish color. Their interiors will be soft and fluffy.
- The final step is to remove the lid, turn up the heat just a little bit, and cook the dumplings for just a few minutes more. Check that the milk has evaporated, but the butter and sugar might be bubbling. At this point, it's okay to gently lift a dumpling with a small spatula to see if it's browned. If they're browned, remove from the heat. Just be careful that you don't burn them!
- Serve the Dampfnudeln drizzled with some browned butter (optional) and homemade German vanilla sauce.
Notes
Recipe source: Very slightly adapted from The Daring Gourmet