Ingredients
Dough
- 500 gplain flour
- 7 ginstant yeast
- 250 mlwarm milk
- 60 gsugar
- 60 gbutter, melted
- 2egg yolks
- 1 tspsalt
- zest of 1 lemon
Filling
- 200 gpowidl
To finish
- 100 gbutter, melted
- 100 gground poppy seeds
- 60 gicing sugar
To serve
- vanilla sauce
Directions
- Make a soft enriched dough with the flour, yeast, warm milk, sugar, melted butter, yolks, salt and lemon zest, and knead for 10 minutes.
- Cover and prove for about 1 hour, until doubled.
- Divide into eight, flatten each piece, and put a heaped teaspoon of powidl into the centre.
- Use powidl rather than jam. It is thick, slow-cooked, barely sweetened plum butter, and ordinary jam is far too loose and leaks out through the seam.
- Pinch the dough firmly closed around the filling and set the dumplings seam side down.
- Prove for a further 30 minutes.
- Steam them over simmering water for 15 to 20 minutes in a covered steamer, without lifting the lid at any point.
- Do not open the lid. A germknödel is essentially a yeasted soufflé at this stage, and a rush of cool air collapses it permanently.
- Alternatively cook them in a wide pan with a little milk and butter under a tight lid, which gives them a caramelised base.
- Lift them out and immediately prick each one with a fork so that the steam escapes and they do not collapse as they cool.
- Pour melted butter over them, then dust heavily with ground poppy seeds mixed with icing sugar.
- Serve hot in a pool of vanilla sauce, which is how it arrives at an Austrian ski hut.
- Germ is the Austrian word for yeast, which is where the name comes from.
Technique
- Prick them the moment they come out. It looks like vandalism and it is what stops them sinking.
- Ground poppy seed rather than whole. Whole seeds taste of almost nothing and just get in the teeth.
- One is a substantial lunch, which is worth knowing before you make two each.
Substitutions
- Very thick prune purée or damson jam cooked down, in place of powidl.
- Ground walnuts with sugar if poppy seeds are unavailable.
Variations
- With apricot jam, which is common in some regions.
- Served with melted butter alone, without vanilla sauce.
- Made small, as several dumplings per plate.
History
An Austrian ski-hut lunch; Germ is the Austrian word for yeast and the filling is powidl plum butter.
Frequently asked questions
What is Germknödel?
Germknödel is a dessert from Austria: steamed yeast dumpling filled with plum jam under poppy seed and butter. An Austrian ski-hut lunch; Germ is the Austrian word for yeast and the filling is powidl plum butter.
How long does Germknödel take to make?
Germknödel takes 30 min plus 1 hr 30 min rising of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 dumplings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Germknödel?
Yes, within limits. Very thick prune purée or damson jam cooked down, in place of powidl. Ground walnuts with sugar if poppy seeds are unavailable.
What is the most important thing to get right in Germknödel?
Use powidl rather than jam. It is thick, slow-cooked, barely sweetened plum butter, and ordinary jam is far too loose and leaks out through the seam.
