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!
How to make bread dumplings
Making bread dumplings is rather simple. You start with stale bread that you soak in warm milk with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. It then becomes soft enough to break apart and form a dough when adding in eggs, cooked onion, and parsley. You then add just enough flour to get a cohesive dough.
Now you will perform a dumpling test by taking shaping a small ball and dropping it into barely simmering water. If it falls apart, add more water and if it doesn't you're good to go. Shape the remaining dough into dumplings the size of a tennis ball and carefully allow it to steep for about 20 minutes.
Serve with my Jägersosse, a mushroom cream sauce that I LOVE with Schnitzel, too, and a crisp, green salad.
What to do with leftover bread
Of course, you need to make bread dumplings with leftover bread! Germans hate throwing away food, so my Oma always devised ways to repurpose food, so she wouldn't need to throw it away. And this is just one of those ways to make brand-new food from leftovers. It's pure magic.
If you don't want to make bread dumplings from leftover bread, you should try my cousin Anna's cherry bread pudding called Kirschmichel. It's so good! And if you ever happen to have any leftover Stollen, use it in some Stollenknödel!
Bread dumpling tips
When making Semmelknödel, there are a couple of things you should pay attention to.
How much flour to add
Depending on what kind of stale bread you use, you may need to add more or less flour to your dough. White bread will likely require you to add a bit more flour. When using darker bread for your dumplings, you may get by by adding less flour. Whole-grain bread likes to soak up more fluids from the milk.
If your bread is not stale enough, you may also need to add in more flour. Stale bread is bread without moisture, which will soak up more of the fluids from the milk. You could also add a bit less milk than what's written in the recipe.
What kind of bread to use
I like using crusty bread, like leftovers of my German sourdough rye bread or Weizenbrötchen. Don't have any old bread? Slice up some fresh bread and put it under the broiler for a few minutes or in the toaster to help dry it out when in a pinch.
Test dumpling
t's smart to run a test dumpling route instead of ruining a whole batch of dumplings. And it only takes a couple of minutes. If your smaller test dumpling falls apart, it's not nearly as sad. Believe me.
To make a test dumpling, shape a bread dumpling about a fourth of the size (bouncy ball) of a regular dumpling (tennis ball) and carefully place it into simmering water. Allow to steep for a few minutes. If it holds together and does not fall apart, you're good to go with the remaining dough. If it does fall apart, add in more flour and run another test. I do this every time I make Semmelknödel.
Leftovers
Have leftover bread dumplings? I recommend rewarming it in water because microwaving it tends to dry it out too much.
You could also cut it into slices, fry it in butter, and top it with powdered sugar and some warmed cherries or raspberries for a quick, super amazing snack, dessert, or even breakfast.
More German Dumpling Recipes:
- Kartoffelklösse are German potato dumplings and are probably the most famous kind of German dumpling. They are perfect when served as a side with a German beef or pork roast.
- Klösschen is my Oma Sieghilde's specialty meal that is much different from the standard German dumpling. Instead of shaping these potato dumplings into balls, they are scraped into boiling water. You have to just check out the recipe and make it.
- Brezelknödel are pretzel dumplings and a variation of bread dumplings. However, these dumplings use either pretzel rods (the snacking kind you can buy) or leftover Brezeln instead of bread. They are SO GOOD, especially with some Hungarian goulash or pork goulash.
- Verheiratete is a Saarland specialty of flour dumplings and potatoes cooked together in a creamy sauce and a must try!
- Griessklösschensuppe is a semolina dumpling soup. It was always a German childhood favorite kind of meal and is so easy and so good!
- Schupfnudeln are potato "noodles" that are kind of like dumplings, so I thought they should have a place here.
- Stollenknödel are sweet bread dumplings made from leftover Stollen. They are amazing served with some homemade vanilla sauce and I know you will love them (if you ever have any leftover Stollen).
- Dampfnudeln are steamed dumplings with a caramelized crust on the bottom and a popular meal or snack at German Christmas markets and throughout the colder months.
German Bread Dumplings (Semmelknödel)
Equipment
- 1 Skimmer to carefully add the dumplings to the hot water and to remove them.
Ingredients
- 300 grams stale bread Turn ⅓ 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 ¾ of a whole baguette). I would only avoid using seeded breads.
- 150 milliliters milk
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more for the cooking water
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated is best
- 1 yellow onion medium to small size
- 1 handful fresh parsley leaves only
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Cut ⅔ 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.300 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.150 milliliters milk, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Peel the onion, then rinse and dry a handful of fresh parsley. Finely dice onion and chop up the parsley leaves.1 yellow onion, 1 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.1 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.1 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.
Mason
I made these German bread dumplings to go with a mushroom sauce and they were delicious! I will for sure be making these as a stuffing replacement for Thanksgiving to soak up that last bit of gravy and cranberry sauce!
Sophie Sadler
Mason, I'm so glad that you had success with my German Bread Dumplings! Thank you so much.