Bavarian Semmelknoedel Bread Dumplings Recipe 465

Steps:

• NOTE: You want to be sure that the bread is "stale" by at least one day. Slice the bread into 1/4 inch thickness. In a large bowl, add the bread slices, whisked egg, fresh parsley and kosher salt. Scald the milk to be very hot, but not boiling. Pour that over the bread mixture, cover with a towel or lid and allow to soak for a few minutes. When the milk has cooled to be a safe temperature for your hands, mix the bread mixture until clumped together. Don't over mix, though! You want all of the ingredients to bind together. If the mixture is too dry, add a little more scalding milk. With wet hands, form into six balls. Chill for 15 to 30 minutes (or overnight). In a pot of salted boiling water, cook for 15 to 20 minutes. This makes a perfect side dish with a stew that has a rich gravy. For leftover dumplings, slice like cooked potatoes. Fry in some bacon and onion, until lightly browned and pour a whisked egg over. Delicious! NOTE: Some people said that their dumplings fell apart in the water, which has never happened to me. When forming the balls, I squeeze the wet bread mixture a bit to firm it up, and roll them together with a firm touch. It's sort of like making meatballs, if you've ever done that. By chilling them, I make sure that everything binds together well.

Steps:

• Place the bread cubes into a large bowl. Heat the milk until it starts to bubble at the edges, then pour it over the bread cubes. Stir briefly to coat the bread. Let soak for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until tender. Stir in the parsley, and remove from the heat. Mix into the bowl with the bread along with the eggs, salt and pepper. Use your hands, squeezing the dough through your fingers until it is smooth and sticky.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. The water should be at least 3 or 4 inches deep. When the water is boiling, make a test dumpling about the size of a small orange or tangerine, by patting and cupping between wet hands. Gently drop into the boiling water. If it falls apart, the dough is too wet. In this case, stir some bread crumbs into the rest of the dumpling batter.
• Form the remaining dough into large dumplings, and carefully drop into the boiling water. Simmer for 20 minutes, then remove to a serving plate with a large slotted spoon. They should come out soft, spongy and delicious!