Germknödel are delicious yeast dough dumplings you have to try. They are filled with plum butter, smothered in melted butter, sprinkled with sugar and poppy seeds. To finish off you pour over German vanilla sauce. A delicious, comforting dish, that is perfect after a bracing winter walk or just a nice alternative to cake in the afternoon.
If you love plums you will love this recipe, although it is different from the plum dumpling recipe that I have on this website. That dumpling is filled with fresh plums, whereas this one is filled with plum butter.
What are Germknödel?
Germknödel is a sweet yeast dumpling with a jam filling. The name of the dish is put together by two components "Germ" which is the Austrian word for "Yeast" and "Knödel" which means dumpling in German.
You pronounce Germknödel as an English Speaker as "GERM-KN-OOW-DELLE".
They are made of a sweet yeast dough which is steamed. The yeast buns are filled with plum butter (called Powidl in Austria and Plaumenmus in German) and served with butter, a poppy seed/sugar mixture, and vanilla sauce.
Germknödel origines from Bavaria, Boehemia and Austria. Legend says they were introduced by a Bohemian cook into Viennese society. They are a favorite dish at ski chalets and are served both as a main course or as a dessert.
The main difference between the two is how they are cooked. Germknödel are steamed, whereas Dampfnudeln are cooked in water and tend to have a salt crust at the bottom.
Dampfnudeln are often served without filling, whereas Germknödel are traditionally filled with plum jam.
Germknödel Filling
The traditional filling for Germknödel is Plum butter. Plum butter is a plum compote that is boiled down to a thick sauce. It is usually made with Italian Prune Plums, which are also used for German Plum cake. Plum butter is called Pflaumenmus or Pflaumenkompott in Germany. In Austria is it known as Powidl. Below is a recipe on how to make it from scratch, but you can also use shop-bought plum butter.
Recipe for Homemade Plum Butter
Ready-Made Plum Butter
Buy Now → (affiliate link)
How to make Germknödel
Ingredients:
- milk
- instant yeast
- sugar
- flour Germany type 405, UK Plain Flour, USA Pastry Flour.
- butter
- pinch salt
- vanilla extract (affiliate link)
- grated lemon peel
For the filling
- plum butter
- 1 teaspoon rum (optional)
For the poppyseed sugar
- 4 tbsp ground poppyseeds
- 2 tbsp icing/confectioners sugar
- 50 g butter
- Heat up the milk to a lukewarm temperature. Mix in the yeast and sugar and stir. Leave in a warm place for 10 minutes. You should see some bubbles forming on the surface. This means that your yeast is activating. If you cannot see them your milk might have been too hot.
- Preheat your oven to its lowest setting.
- Now add in the flour, salt, vanilla sugar, butter, and egg, and knead the dough with a hand or stand mixer, with a dough hook to a smooth dough.
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel. Turn off the oven, and place the bowl in it. Leave to rise for about 1 hour. By this time the dough should have doubled in size.
- Now knead the dough for about 2 minutes by hand on a floured surface to remove any air bubbles that might have formed. Divide it into two equal portions. Sometimes it helps to use a kitchen scale, if you want to be exact.
- Flatten the dough pieces by hand, and add a tablespoon of plum butter/ jam in the middle. Now fold the sides over the middle and form into a round ball.
- 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 that the dumplings do not end up sticking to the basket.
- Pour water into a pan and bring to a boil. It is important that the water does not wildly bubble, just simmer. Otherwise, the water might spit and the bottom of your Germknödel will get soggy.
- Depending on the size of your steamer basket, place the dumplings inside. You might have to steam them individually. They should not touch and need enough space between one another to be removed easily. The dumplings will expand and then they might stick together if you are not careful. Steam for approximately 15 minutes.
To serve
- Melt the butter in a pot.
- Mix the poppy seeds and icing/confectioner sugar in a bowl.
- Place each dumpling into a bowl. Pour over a little melted butter and add a teaspoon of poppyseed sugar mixture on top.
- Serve with German Vanilla Sauce or Custard.
Recipe Variations
You can vary the filling of the Germknödel. Plum Butter (Powidl) is the traditional filling but alternative you will also find them filled with:
- Cherry Compote
- Chocolate
- Apfelmus (German Apple Sauce)
- Rhubarb Compote
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 microorganisms 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 in 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 like mine 50, 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.
How to Serve
In Germany and Austria, these sweet yeast dumplings are often served as a main course or as a sweet snack in the afternoon. In restaurants, you can also find them served as a filling dessert.
They are mainly served with German Vanilla Sauce, but can also be served with Rote Grütze (German Red Berry Sauce) or Cherry Compote. The dumplings are served warm.
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.
Can you freeze Germknödel?
These yeast balls freeze very well. It is best to freeze them after you have completely 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 Sweet Recipes
Recipe
Germknödel - Austrian Sweet Dumplings
Ingredients
- 125 ml milk ½ cup
- 7 g instant yeast 2 teaspoon (one packet)
- 40 g sugar 1.4 oz,
- 250 g flour 8.8 oz, Germany type 405, UK Plain Flour, USA Pastry Flour.
- 50 g butter 1.7 oz
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract can be sustituted with 2 teaspoon vanilla sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
For the Filling
- 4 tablespoon plum butter can be replaced with plum jam
- 1 teaspoon rum (optional)
For the poppy seed sugar
- 4 tablespoon ground poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoon icing / confectioners sugar
- 50 g butter 1.7 oz
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, 40 g 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, 50 g butter, 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.
- If you want to use the rum, mix it in with the plum butter. Flatten the dough pieces by hand, and add a tablespoon of plum butter/ jam in the middle. Fold the sides to the middle and form into a round ball.4 tablespoon plum butter, 1 teaspoon rum
- 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 Germknödel 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.
- In the meantime prepare the Vanilla Sauce according to this recipe
To serve
- Melt the butter in a pot.50 g butter
- Mix the poppy seeds and icing/confectioners sugar in a bowl.4 tablespoon ground poppy seeds (affiliate link), 2 tablespoon icing / confectioners sugar
- Place each dumpling into a bowl. Pour over a little melted butter and add a teaspoon of the poppyseed sugar mixture on top.
- Serve with German Vanilla Sauce or Custard.
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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