German Bread Dumplings (Semmelknödel)

Serves 6

30 mins prep

20 mins cook

50 mins total

German bread dumplings, called Semmelknödel in German, are an amazingly delicious way to use leftover bread and soak up some sauce! They are a staple food in Germany.

I can feel my Oma applauding me from heaven because I know how much she appreciated not throwing away food! Serve with my creamy mushroom sauce (Jägersosse), a German roast like Böfflamott or Glühweinbraten, or my German pork goulash.

Semmelknödel would also be fun to make for Thanksgiving as a stuffing replacement!

2 servings

100 gramsstale breadTurn 1/3 of the bread into breadcrumbs and use for later. As for what type of bread to use, and kind of leftovers from sourdough rye bread or Weizenbrötchen. You can also use old baguette (about 3/4 of a whole baguette). I would only avoid using seeded breads.

50 millilitersmilk

⅕ teaspoonfreshly ground pepper

⅕ teaspoonsaltplus more for the cooking water

⅕ teaspoonnutmegfreshly grated is best

⅓yellow onionmedium to small size

⅓ handfulfresh parsleyleaves only

⅓ Tablespoonbutter

⅓egg

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Cut 2/3 of the stale bread into small cubes or thin slices. Process the other third in the food processor to make breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you can use store-bought breadcrumbs.
100 grams stale bread
Place the bread cubes in a medium sized bowl and pour the warm water over the top. Add to taste salt, pepper and nutmeg. Let soak for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not discard any leftover liquid.
50 milliliters milk
⅕ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
⅕ teaspoon salt
⅕ teaspoon nutmeg
Peel the onion, then rinse and dry a handful of fresh parsley. Finely dice onion and chop up the parsley leaves.
⅓ yellow onion
⅓ handful fresh parsley
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, add diced onion until it turns a light brown color. Add the chopped parsley and let wilt. Remove from heat.
⅓ Tablespoon butter
Add the egg and the cooked onion-parsley mixture to the milk-soaked bread and knead together. Add some flour until your dough sticks together nicely.
⅓ egg
Heat a large pot of salted water until boiling.
Shape a small test dumpling (about the size of a bouncy ball or one fourth of the size of a regular-sized dumpling). Reduce heat to just hot water and let steep a couple of minutes.
If the dumpling falls apart, add more breadcrumbs to the soft dumpling mixture and make another test dumpling.
Using wet hands, shape 6 dumplings and add to the boiling water, reduce heat to medium and let steep for about 20 minutes.
Serve with my creamy mushroom sauce (Jägersosse), a German roast like Böfflamott or Glühweinbraten, or my German pork goulash.