A perfect pairing: sauce and dumplings. How are they made?
The shorter the list of ingredients, the trickier the path to the perfect result! This unwritten rule also applies to the dumpling, which is synonymous with craftsmanship in Czech cuisine. "In a recipe, you won't find much more than coarse flour, fresh yeast, milk, eggs, salt and a bread bun, but it's all the more important to focus on the process and the properties of the individual ingredients. First you have to understand what's going on in the dough and in the pot," says Bufet's chef Petr Benda, who has rich dumpling experience from Lokál pubs. Here's what matters in the dumpling game.
1. Salt is poured into the bowl, but must not come into contact with the yeast. This would slow down the yeast activity and therefore the rise. Most cooks salt the dough (and the cooking water) by eye, but it is important to think about the resulting food – the dumpling is a side dish to the sauce, which carries the main flavour, and should therefore not be too salty.
2. The dumpling requires coarsely ground flour. This ensures a perfectly leavened and fluffy dough. In contrast, plain flour would make a stiff dough. Storage is also an issue in the kitchen – only room temperature flour will promote proper rising! With practice, you will learn that milled grain dries out faster over the summer, so sometimes more liquid must be added to the recipe than in the winter.
3. Milk is also responsible for the rising of the dumplings – it should not be cold or warm! At Lokál, it is heated to 40 to 50 °C so that it remains warm enough even after it has cooled in the bowl with the flour to enhance the yeast's effectiveness. Chefs advise adding all the milk at once – it is difficult to thin the dough once it has been kneaded.
4. The sliced bread bun is added at the very end, once the dough is smooth, and does not stick to the sides of the bowl. The bread must be stale, dry and hard – a fresh soft bun would turn soggy during kneading, and not give the dumpling the desired texture. It is for this reason that the cubes are worked in briskly and gently, otherwise they would crumble to breadcrumbs and not accomplish their mission. The amount must also be estimated – it holds moisture and tends to dry out the dough, so don't go overboard.
Extra Tip: Instead of the bun, you can use older rolls or toasted bread. The baked crust is crucial, as it makes a nice mosaic. In the Čestr restaurant, they have replaced the bun with brioche, which is pre-sliced and lightly toasted in butter.
5. The dumpling needs its time! The dough must be thoroughly kneaded and kneaded to get rid of air bubbles and prevent it from cracking during cooking. In many recipes, the dumpling is left to rise twice, but the chefs at Lokál trust the triple proofing. First, the dough rises in the kneading bowl, for 20 to 30 minutes in a warm place (it is usually around 40 °C in the preparation room) during which time it manages to rise by two thirds. Note: High heat is not as good for rising as cold!
The risen dough is rolled out into loaves, shaped and left to rise a second time, resting on the worktop for 15 minutes (be careful, it must not be cold!). But before that, the dumplings must be tightened. This technique is reminiscent of rolling out pizza dough, where folding gets rid of excess air and gets the gluten working. However, the loaves will already have been given a preliminary dumpling shape, otherwise the dough would fall off during the third rise.
From experience: The batch of dough is divided into classic loaves, or into chunky portions, for example, 100g dumpling per plate.
There's no need to dust with flour. A better tool is usually a long flexible knife, which is used to cut the risen doughnut from the work surface. In the final shaping of the dumplings, the extra flour could cause a crease and then a crack.
Throughout the rising process, cover the dumplings with a towel! This draws in moisture from the dough and can prevent the rolls from drying out and cracking during cooking.
6. The last stage of rising requires a sensitive approach! The dumplings are carefully rolled out into cones, placed on their side and left to mature for about 10 minutes, without the cooks touching them unnecessarily. As soon as the surface of the dough is disturbed, the dumplings are crushed.
A touch of history
The earliest references to dumplings can be found in literature dating back to the 7th century – once upon a time they were eaten as fried balls, later baked and filled like buns, or rolled into a mixture of meat, fish or pulses. It was not until the 17th century that white plain flour, then an exclusive ingredient, was added to recipes. The popularity of dumplings as we know them today was mainly due to Magdalena Dobromila Rettig. Incidentally, it was not until the second half of the 19th century that the pork dumpling became very famous, thanks to Prague restaurants.
7. In water or in steam? The choice is yours. In Lokál, the dumplings are respectfully placed in boiling salted water so that they don't bump into each other and change shape. Caution – the water should not stop boiling! After eight minutes, the dumplings are turned 180 degrees, boiled for another eight minutes and are done.
Myth! Forget the phrase "when they float to the surface" when making dumplings. The dough is still full of air, and it will rise to the top as soon as the dumpling enters the bubbling water. It's better to set a timer.
8. The steam must come out! The dumpling will steam immediately after cooking, so pierce with a fork, as unreleased water would cause the dough to curdle.
9. Everything ends with butter! Hot dumplings with are brushed with butter, or lard. It softens them and enriches their taste and aroma.
Recipe from Lokál (8 to 10 servings)
Prepare:
- 8 g salt
- 1 kg coarse flour
- 20 g fresh yeast
- 1 egg
- 500 ml milk
- approx. 4 rolls, cut into cubes
- Put the salt and flour in a bowl, crumble in the yeast and crack in the egg.
- Add the warmed milk and mix for 4-5 minutes (in a food processor) until a smooth dough forms.
- Then gently stir in the cubes of bread.
- Leave to rise in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes. The dough will increase in volume by about two thirds.
- Transfer the dough to a work surface, and divide into three or four parts. Fold each one several times, and roll out into an oblong shape. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
- Shape the risen dough into oblong loaves and wait 10 minutes for them to rise.
- Place the dumplings in boiling salted water. After 8 minutes, turn them over and cook for another 8 minutes.
- Immediately pierce the cooked dumplings with a fork and brush with butter.
What to do with the dumplings?
Cooled dumplings wrapped in foil will keep in the fridge for up to three days, but the remaining slices can be frozen or cut into different recipes. Ordinary dumplings with egg are elevated by fried Prague ham, smoked crackling or fried pieces of bacon, a drop of caraway oil and hollandaise sauce. On the plate, sprinkle with seasoned breadcrumbs, herb salt or kimchi, which is dried and pulverised. You can bake the rounds gratin-style and adjust as a stir-frybut also roll in flour and egg parmesan, fry as Italian-style piccata and serve with cabbage or with crème fraîche.
Source: Ambiente chefs
