German-style bread dumplings (Semmelknödel-inspired)
🍞🗑️🤔 Did you know that an estimated 40% of bread produced every year is wasted in the home, which means that for every loaf of bread eaten, half a loaf is thrown away? By making small changes like Grandma Sita, turning bread surplus into edible and nutritious plant-based bites will keep ourselves and the planet healthy.
🌱🧆🇩🇪 Laura joined A Grandchild in My Kitchen, Grandma Sita’s plant-based cooking challenge. So let’s cook delicious German-style dumplings made from leftover bread with mushroom cream sauce.
😋 This yummy plant-based recipe is inspired by the popular Semmelknödel (German Bread Dumplings), a specialty of the Bavaria region of southern Germany.
INGREDIENTS
*For the dumplings
8 slices of leftover bread
1 cup oat drink
1 teaspoon plant-based butter
1 onion
1-2 handfuls fresh parsley
2 tablespoons flour
Pinch of salt
*For the sauce
1 tray of mushrooms, chopped
200ml plant-based whipped cream
1 tsp lemon juice
3 sprigs of parsley
Salt and black pepper
METHOD
*For the dumplings
1. Cut the bread into cubes and soak them in an oat drink.
2. Saute the onions in a pan with the butter until golden brown. Set aside to cool for a moment.
3. In a bowl, thoroughly knead the flour, salt, parsley, onions, and the soaked bread until combined thoroughly.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
5. Wet your hands (for a better grip) and form 8-10 dumplings of equal size.
6. Carefully place them in the boiling water and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.
7. They’re ready when they float up to the surface on their own and gently rotate. They should feel firm when you remove them from the water.
*For the sauce
1. Heat plant-based butter in a saucepan and fry dice onion.
2. Rinse mushrooms, cut, and add to saucepan.
3. Cook over high heat for 2 minutes while stirring. Sprinkle with flour and saute briefly.
4. Pour in the cream and stir. Simmer for 5-10 minutes and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
5. Serve dumplings with sauce and sprinkle with parsley.
🧓🏻💚 Grandma Sita’s tips:
*Carefully place these bread dumplings in the boiling water, they are ready when they float to the surface on their own. They should feel firm when you remove them from the water.
*Bread dumplings are easy to freeze well in ziplock freezer bags. To reheat, let them thaw and reheat them covered (to create some steam) in the microwave. They’re as good as new!
*Remember bread freezes well, so make sure you pop in the freezer if you’re not going to be eaten in time.
*Bread dumplings are easy to freeze well in ziplock freezer bags. To reheat, let them thaw and reheat them covered (to create some steam) in the microwave. They’re as good as new!
➡️ Semmelknödel is a kind of bread dumplings made from stale wheat bread rolls. They are served as a side dish with sauces, roasts, meats, and soups. Semmelknödel is a Bavarian, Austrian, and Bohemian specialty. Some ingredients vary depending on the region where it’s prepared.
📗 The first references to knödel dated back to the 12th century. Semmelknödel became a specialty, as wheat bread and rolls go stale quickly. This way you could dress up the expensive bakeware and use it again as a side dish.
🌎 Globally, almost 900,000 tonnes of bread are wasted annually, that’s around 24 million slices every day. Let’s not add to that statistic by making delicious bread dumplings that will keep ourselves and the planet healthy.