A Czech summer classic: Leavened fruit dumplings
Czech food, beer, and Prague in the palm of your hand
Oh, how much joy a simple dumpling can bring! Especially if the dough rises properly so that it is fluffy, and is full of juicy seasonal fruit. For instructions on how to make them, we went to Kuchyň restaurant, right next to Prague Castle.
1. The same procedure as bread dumplings
The recipe calls for the same procedure as classic bread dumpling, only the bread is omitted. Coarse flour and salt, yeast, sugar and eggs are combined in a bowl. Last, slightly warmed milk is added to encourage the yeast to work. Well-kneaded, the dough should be smooth, elastic and with just the right amount of stiffness.
And what about the leaven? In the case of dumplings, you can use it if you wish – the dough does not contain fat, which would make it difficult for the yeast to work. If you're used to sourdough starter, let it rise with some of the milk, sugar, yeast and a tablespoon of flour and stir it into the sifted flour with a pinch of salt and the egg.
2. Several chances to rise
The first time the dough rises in the bowl (covered with a towel!), it will double in volume. It is then rolled out into individual portions – the hundred-gram pieces are rolled into firm balls and left for 10 minutes under the towel before filling.
3. A pocket full of fruit
Next, the individual balls are stretched into round patties, filled and closed like a pouch. The top is tightened tightly and rolled into a regular round shape. There are several reasons for this – the dumplings look nice, but most importantly, the excess air is released so that the dough does not shrink when cooking.
Messages: The ratio of dough to filling depends on your taste – at Kuchyň, each dumpling can hold 50 g of coating or 70 g of fruit. The thickness of the dough should be uniform, otherwise the thinner layers risk boiling or being torn by escaping steam.
4. Proofing
Filled dumplings need to proof! The cooks place them on a baking sheet greased with oil and sprinkle them with water from a spray bottle, and leave for the next 20 to 45 minutes. The exact final rising time depends on the ambient temperature and the dough's looseness.
5. Professionals cook the dumplings in a kettle
Thanks to the steam, they can do it in 16 minutes. Home cooks will probably choose a steamer fan or a saucepan which is worth buttering before hand. The dumplings tend to stick to the steamer, as well as sticking together if you deny them enough space. The heat causes air pockets in the dough to expand, full of evaporating water, and the balls continue to expand as they cook.
Grandma's advice: In old Austrian cookbooks, it is recommended to add a little milk to the water in the steaming pot. It is said to "sweeten" the steam and add flavour to the dumplings.
6. Pierce the cooked dumplings with a fork!
The steam accumulated inside must come out, otherwise the dough will curdle. Immediately afterwards, brush the still hot dumplings with butter.
7. The filling is governed by the season
In June at Kuchyň, you will enjoy dumplings with whole strawberries and rhubarb sliced 3 to 4 mm thin and sweetened with icing sugar. They are served with fresh strawberries, pickled rhubarb and grated curd cheese from Krasolesí, with sugar and a good dose of butter – at least 50 g per dumpling!
During the summer, the strawberries are swapped for apricots – fresh, sugared fruit is hidden in the dough and on the plate they are topped with a sauce of cooked apricots, cottage cheese and butter. In autumn, the recipe will include plums, whereas winter is the best time for rum-diluted compot, and the classic sprinkling of poppy seeds and icing sugar.
P.S.: Did you know that every fruit dumpling at Kuchyň sits on a dollop of sour cream?
Ingredients
For 16 dumplings:
- 1 kg coarse flour
- 20 g salt
- ½ cube of fresh yeast
- 20 g sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ l milk, slightly warmed
+
- fruit to taste
- sugar for filling and serving
- butter to spread and pour over the dumplings
- hard curd cheese for grating
Procedure:
- Put 100 g of flour, salt and then the remaining flour in a bowl. This will separate the salt, which could slow down the yeast activity.
- Add the yeast, sugar and egg. Do not stir the ingredients yet!
- Pour in a pint of lukewarm (not hot!) milk and mix for 10 to 15 minutes, ideally in a food processor, working up a smooth, smooth mass.
- Cover the non-sticky dough with a tea towel and put it in a warm place to rise for about 15 minutes.
- Weigh and roll out the risen dough into 100-gram balls. Cover them with a tea towel and let them rest for 10 minutes.
- Fill the dough with fruit and shape into dumplings. Sprinkled lightly with water, they will rise for 20 to 45 minutes.
- Steam the rested dumplings – this will take about 16 minutes.
- Prick the finished dumplings with a fork to prevent the filling from spilling out and brush with butter
For the dumpling maker:
Poppy seeds work alongside the dumplings as a seasoning! However, the aroma and flavour of the seeds only become apparent when you chew, grind or briefly fry them. The taste of blue poppy seeds is always a little more pronounced than white poppies, even in the form of oil. In Austria, they would sprinkle the dumplings with grey poppy seeds which is mainly grown in the Waldviertel region – freshly ground, they add an exceptional aroma to the dish. A safe bet? Add the poppy seeds and sugar in a 1:1 ratio brown butter!
Dumplings used to be covered with with poppy seed sauce and honey. A cup of ground poppy seeds was boiled with a litre of milk, cinnamon and cloves, and sweetened with honey. Finally, everything was seasoned with a pinch of salt, grated gingerbread and a spoonful of butter. In addition, the fruit dumplings were grated with gingerbread and sprinkled with a powder of pounded dried pears.
Marie B. Svobodová emphasises the taste of the dumplings themselves and serves them only with butter and a breadcrumbs. Get inspired and try for example the simple breadcrumbs (from sweet brioche) toasted with butter and cinnamon.
Strawberry, blueberry or blackberry dumplings will be elevated by vanilla (clarified) butter, vanilla cream or rum mousse. The traditional sweet dish works even with apple or plum compote, fresh kefir, sour cream with blueberries or caramel sauce with miso paste.
Leavened fruit dumplings are considered to be a specialty of Viennese cuisine, but the Austrians themselves give some of the credit to the Czechs, specifically the Czech cooks who served in Austrian households. You can tell the difference at a glance! The Viennese dumpling is usually larger, steamed and few people dare to offer it without poppy seeds, sugar and butter.
Source: Ambiente chefs, Marie B. Svobodová
