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.
Want to save this recipe?
Share your email below & we'll send it to you! Plus you’ll get new German recipes from me every week!
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
- ½ cups (125 ml) milk lukewarm
- 2 teaspoon (7 g) instant yeast (one packet)
- 4 tablespoon (4 Tbp) sugar 1.4 oz, 50 gr
- 2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour 8.8 oz, Germany type 405, UK Plain Flour,
- 3,5 tablespoon (50 g) butter softened,
- 2 egg yolks from medium eggs
- 1 pinch (1 pinch) salt
- 2 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract can be sustituted with 2 teaspoon vanilla sugar
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) grated lemon peel
- 1 tablespoon butter for greasing the basket
Blueberry Sauce
- 1 lb blueberrys fresh or frozen
- ½ cup apple juice
- 2 tablespoon corn starch / corn flour
- 4 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoon water
Instructions
Make the dumpling dough:
- Warm the milk until it is lukewarm, around 86 to 95°F (30 to 35°C). Stir in the yeast and sugar, then leave it somewhere warm for 10 minutes. You should see bubbles forming on the surface, which means the yeast is waking up. If nothing happens, your milk was probably too hot and you will need to start over.½ cups milk, 2 tsp instant yeast , 4 tbsp sugar
- Preheat your oven to its lowest setting, then turn it off. You will use it as a cozy spot for the dough to rise.
- Add the flour, salt, vanilla extract, softened butter, lemon zest, and egg yolks to the yeast mixture. Knead with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, or with a hand mixer, for about 10 minutes until you have a smooth dough. It should barely stick to your fingers.2 cups all purpose flour , 2 egg yolks, 2 tsp vanilla extract , 1 tsp grated lemon peel, 1 pinch salt
- Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and place it in the turned off oven. Leave to rise for about 45 minutes, until 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.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for about 2 minutes to knock out the air bubbles. Divide into 4 equal pieces. A kitchen scale helps here if you want them even.
- Roll each piece into a ball. Cup your palm over the dough and move it in a circular motion against the floured surface, or roll it between both palms. Place the balls seam side down and let them rise for another 15 minutes.
Steam the dumplings
- While the dumplings rise, generously grease the bottom of your steamer basket with butter so they do not stick.1 tbsp butter
- Pour a couple of inches of water into a pot and bring it to a boil, then turn it down so it is just gently simmering. If the water bubbles hard it will splash the dumplings and the bottoms turn soggy.
- Place the dumplings in the steamer basket, leaving plenty of space between them. They puff up a lot, so steam them in batches if your basket is small. Cover with the lid and steam for 15 minutes. Resist the urge to lift the lid, because a blast of cold air can make them collapse.
Blueberry Sauce
- Rinse the blueberries and add them to a small saucepan with the apple juice, sugar, and vanilla extract.1 lb blueberrys, ½ cup apple juice, 3 tbsp water, 4 tbsp sugar
- Heat over low to medium heat, stirring now and then, until the berries release their juices and start to bubble. This takes about 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the cold water until completely smooth with no lumps. Pour it into the hot blueberries while stirring, bring back to a boil, and cook for 1 minute until thickened.2 tbsp corn starch / corn flour
- Serve your steamed dumpling with the blueberry 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
Can you freeze Germknödel?
These yeast balls freeze very well. It is best to freeze them after you have completley 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.Want to save this recipe?
Share your email below & we'll send it to you! Plus you'll get new German recipes from me every week!
Nutrition
Made this recipe?Drop a ⭐ rating and a quick comment below. I personally read and reply to every review!
Leave a Reply