An Austrian classic, this. In German, knödel (pronounced with the “k”) is the word for dumpling. This recipe was frequently prepared by my mother when I was a child because it is an excellent method to utilize stale bread. It continues to be one of my favorite tastes from my early years. I had to follow her around the kitchen the last time she cooked it because this is one of those recipes that isn’t written down, so the measurements are approximate. Make certain the bread is old. If not, chop it into cubes and then dry it in the oven.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 10 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 35 mins |
| Servings: | 5 |
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons butter
- ½ (1 pound) loaf white bread, toasted and cut into cubes
- 1 cup milk
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Butter a 9×11-inch baking dish.
- Combine onion, parsley, and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until onions begin to brown. Pour over bread cubes and toss well.
- Whisk together milk, eggs, salt, and pepper. Pour over bread and onion mixture; mix well and allow to stand for 1 hour.
- Firmly press mixture into the prepared baking dish; tightly cover with aluminum foil.
- Place the baking dish on a rack in a larger pot with 3 inches of water. Cover pot and steam for 1 hour.
- Remove the dish from the pot of water and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Drizzle with melted butter before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 197 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 28 g |
| Cholesterol | 83 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 370 mg |
| Sugars | 5 g |
| Fat | 6 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I, too, made them into baseball sized dumplings and boiled, but did it in stock. When I was little, I was anemic. My Grandma Schultz used to grind up liver and add it to the mix and boil in beef stock. You can also use ground chicken or turkey, or whatever, boil in stock and serve as a soup. If you want, mince up onions, garlic, green peppers, whatever suits your fancy and experiment boiling in water, stock, or, after boiling, dump them into a pot of gravy.
My father’s great grandfather came from Austria and his family taught my mother how they made them. My families recipe(not wrote down but like Margaret, you had to follow Mom around the kitchen) has a lot of onions and a lot of very small diced Velvetta Cheese brick in them. They are boiled in water(I add some chicken broth to the water for a little added flavor)for an hour. Some stay together and some don’t. Doesn’t matter, good anyway you can get them. I understand another way to make them is with liver. My mother was kind enough not to go there. 🙂
whatever this is it was good, but not sure with what you will sever this. But its like a stuffing….very good!!! Its a keeper.
When I went to Vienna, the knodel was served this way and not in the shape of balls like other reviewers described. When I ordered knodel, it was served fried up with eggs as a main dish with salad on the side. I loved it! I didn’t know what it was at the time and actually thought they were well-boiled potatoes or something. Now I know! Mine didn’t turn out exactly like I had in Austria, but it was good. I didn’t have a pan larger than 9 x 11, so I turned the oven on to 275 degrees and had a big pan full of water heat up for an hour to steam. Then I put the pan of knodel in the oven with the foil wrapped tightly on it. The bread was still pretty firm. The taste was good, but the texture was slightly off. I’m sure it was my cooking technique.
I was invited to a German potluck and made this side dish. I used fresh french bread and toasted it in the oven for 20 min. at 350. I also used red onions. I placed it in a 9×11 glass dish and then put in my Big(turkey roasting) pan with water at 350 for 45 min. It was good, but very plain. Everyone ate it and liked it. It was a nice side dish with all the German food. Many people had this before in Germany…so it worked!
I’m from Vienna, Austria, but I have never seen Knoedel made in a pan like this. It is quite common, though to form them into balls (like someone else suggested). Another way is to make “Serviettenknoedel” (napkin dumplings), by forming a long roll, wrapping it in a cloth napkin or kitchen towel (NOT terry), and hanging this on a wooden cooking spoon into boiling water (10 minutes should do it). The finished dumpling roll is then sliced and served with stews or gravy.
My family and I came from the south west of Germany in the Black Forest. My mom would add diced ham to her Knodel.
My Father came from Austria and knodel was one of his most favorite dishes. My Mother made a variation cutting a ring of Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa into small pieces and incorporating it into the batter before rolling into dumplings. Delicious.
I mixed all of the ingredients together as per recipe adding one extra egg. But then I formed them into firms balls the size of a small hardball and placed them into slightly salted boiling water. When they rose to the surface, I turned the heat down to a soft boil and covered the pot. Ten minutes later they’re done and awsome! Everyone loves them. A great recipe. My whole family raves every time I make this and requests it often. A great way to soak up gravy or sauce. If there are any leftovers (and there usually aren!t) I cut them up the next morning and put them in the frypan with a couple of eggs and sometimes ham, red pepper, etc… and they are gone! A real soul food.
This is a nice recipe and reminds me a lot of homemade stuffing. The onions and parsley give it a surprising amount of flavor. I can see why this would be comfort food!