This German Blueberry Dumpling recipe is an old-fashioned classic dish popular in Eastern Germany. In Germany, this dish is called "Hefeklöße mit Heidelbeersoße" and is a popular sweet dessert or lunch which is loved in Kindergartens and schools.
You will fall in love with this simple blueberries and dumplings dessert. Fluffy sweet yeast buns served in a blueberry compote sauce.
Blueberries in Germany
Blueberries have several different names in Germany. "Blaubeere" - which translates as "blueberry", "Dicke blauen" or "Bickbeeren". But the most common name is "Heidelbeere" - "Heide" is the word for "heather" in German. The blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is a species of the blueberry genus (Vaccinium) in the heather family (Ericaceae).
The largest blueberry plantations in Germany are in the north the areas called Lüneburger Heide and Oldenburg.
Sweet German Dumplings
German yeast dumplings are called "Hefeklöße" and are made from simple yeast dough. You will find different varieties, like Dampfnudeln which are popular in South Germany, Germknödel (which are yeast dumplings filled with plum butter) which are popular in Bavaria and these yeast dumplings served in blueberry sauce which were popular in the GDR.
I never grew up with this dish but asked my friend Doro who grew up in Dresden. She told me that her grandmother used to make them every Friday, alternating with another sweet dish called Milchreis. In the summer she would serve them with blueberry sauce and in the autumn with plum butter.
How to make German Blueberry Dumplings
It is pretty easy to make the yeast buns and blueberry sauce. Just factor in enough time for the dough to rise.
Ingredients
The exact amounts are listed in the printable recipe card below.
For the sweet dumplings
- milk, instant yeast, and sugar (to activate the yeast)
- flour, butter, egg yolks from medium eggs (use all-purpose flour, UK plain flour)
- vanilla extract (affiliate link), lemon zest, and salt (to flavor the dough)
For the blueberry sauce
- blueberries (you can use frozen or fresh ones)
- apple juice (for flavoring)
- sugar (this is too taste. The apple juice will be sweet too, so you can add more sugar if you like.
- corn starch (this will help you thicken the sauce.)
Blueberry Dumpling Recipe
Prepare the yeast dough:
- Start by preparing the yeast dough. Heat the milk to a lukewarm temperature. Mix in the yeast and sugar and stir. Leave to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.
- Add the flour, salt, vanilla sugar, butter, lemon peel, and egg yolks. Knead the dough with a hand or stand mixer (with a dough hook) to a smooth dough for approximately
- Leave to rise for about 45 minutes. By this time the dough should have doubled in size.
- Divide the dough into four equal portions. Roll each dough into a ball. Leave the balls to rise for a further 15 minutes. The seams should be at the bottom.
Making the blueberry compote
- Wash the berries and place them in a small saucepan with the apple juice and vanilla extract (affiliate link)
- Heat the pot on low to medium heat until the blueberries start to cook and become juicy.
- In a separate small bowl, mix the water with the cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Pour into the hot blueberries and bring to a boil. The sauce should start to thicken.
Steam the Buns
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, then reduce the heat so the water only simmers. Grease the bottom of the steamer basket and add yeast balls to them. Steam for about 15 minutes
How to serve these Blueberry Dumplings
Serve the sweet dumplings with the sauce on top. Some prefer to also add some custard or German vanilla sauce on top. Serving it with vanilla ice cream is also a great alternative.
Storage Instructions
If you make too many dumplings, you can store them in the fridge for up to two days. You can either reheat them in the microwave or steamer. When reheating in the microwave, wet the dumplings with a little water. Place in a microwave-proof container with a lid, and reheat at ca. 600 Watt for 2-3 minutes.
These yeast balls freeze very well. It is best to freeze them after you have prepared and cooked the Knödel. To reheat, you can use a steamer basket and reheat in the steamer for about 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can defrost and reheat the dumpling in the microwave.
Eat the dumplings soon after they are reheated as they dry out quickly.
More Summer Fruit Recipes
Recipe
German Blueberry Dumplings with Blueberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 125 ml milk ½ cup
- 7 g instant yeast 2 teaspoon (one packet)
- 4 Tbp sugar 1.4 oz, 50 gr
- 250 g flour 8.8 oz, Germany type 405, UK Plain Flour, USA Pastry Flour.
- 50 g butter 1.7 oz
- 2 egg yolks from medium eggs
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract can be sustituted with 2 teaspoon vanilla sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Blueberry Sauce
- 500 gr blueberrys fresh or frozen
- 100 ml apple juice
- 3 tablespoon corn starch / corn flour
- 4 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Heat up the milk to a lukewarm temperature. Mix in the yeast and sugar and stir. Leave to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. You should see some bubbles forming on the surface. This means your yeast is activating. If you cannot see them your milk might have been too hot, and you should start again.125 ml milk, 7 g instant yeast, 4 Tbp sugar
- Preheat your oven to its lowest setting.
- Now add in the flour, salt, vanilla sugar, butter, lemon peel and egg yolks. Knead the dough with a hand or stand mixer (with a dough hook) to a smooth dough for approximately 10 minutes.250 g flour, 2 egg yolks, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (affiliate link), 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel, 1 pinch salt
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel. Turn off the oven, and place the bowl in it. Leave to rise for about 45 minutes. By this time the dough should have doubled in size.
- Knead the dough for about 2 minutes by hand on a floured surface to remove any air bubbled that might have formed during the rise. Then divide the dough into four equal portions. Sometimes it helps to use a kitchen scale if you want to be exact.
- Roll each dough into a ball. Using a circular motion with the palm of your hand, gently roll the dough on a floured surface to create a ball shape. The ball shape can also be created by rolling the dough between the palms of both hands using the same circular motion.
- Leave the balls to rise for a further 15 minutes. The seams should be at the bottom.
- In the meantime, grease the bottom of your steaming basket with butter, so the dumplings do not end up sticking to the pan.
- Pour water in a pan and bring to boil. It is important that the water does not widley bubble, just simmer. Otherwise the water might spit and you the bottom of your Dumpling will get soggy.
- Depending on the size of your steamer basket, place the dumpling inside. You might have to steam them individually. They should not touch and need enough space between one another. The dumplings will expand and then they might stick together if you are not careful. Steam for approximately 15 minutes.
Blueberry Sauce
- Wash the berries and place them in a small saucepan with the apple juice and vanilla extract (affiliate link)50 g butter
- Heat the pot on a low to medium heat until blueberries start to cook and become juicy.
- In a seperate small bowl mix, water with the corn stach and whisk until smooth. Pour into the hot blueberries and bring to a boil. the sauce should start to thicken.
- Serve your steamed dumpling with the bluebeery sauce. You can also serve some vanilla ice cream or vanilla sauce on top.
Video
Notes
Baking with Yeast: Steps for Sucess
Baking with yeast is not rocket science. Here are my best tips to ensure that your yeast dough rises every time.- Use lukewarm milk. The microorganism in the yeast will activate through heat and sugar. The ideal temperature of the milk should be around 30-35°C / 86-95 °F. If the temperature rises above 45°C/113°F, the cells will die and your dough will not rise.
- Make sure your yeast is not out of date. Using out of date yeast is a common reason for the dough not rising.
- 35°C/95 °F is the perfect temperature for the dough to rise. The temperature should not get hotter than 40 °C. If your kitchen is cooler, then preheat the oven to the lowest setting. Turn the oven off and place the dough in the oven. Cover it with a moist tea towel so it does not dry out. (If your lowest setting is hotter than 40 °C like mine 50 °C leave the door open for a couple of minutes before placing the dough in)
- Knead the dough thoroughly - To ensure that the bread becomes light and fluffy you need to knead it for a long time. A well-kneaded dough hardly sticks. After the dough rises it is important to knead it again, as during the rising process gas bubbles form. This will ensure that your bread bakes evenly
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