Brezenknödel
Pretzel dumplings
Brezenknödel: Bavarian pretzel dumplings with parsley
GermanBrezenknödel are what thrifty Munich kitchens make from yesterday's pretzels: the cubes soak in warm milk with egg, onion and parsley, then are shaped into dumplings with a faintly salty, malty crust flavour running through them. They are served on Sundays in place of bread dumplings, alongside a creamy mushroom sauce or a pile of red cabbage, and leftovers are sliced and fried the next morning. The big mistake is adding too much milk: the mixture should hold when squeezed, not drip. Chef's tip: pick off most of the coarse salt before cubing the pretzels, otherwise the dumplings end up far too salty.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz day-old soft pretzelsabout 4, coarse salt brushed off
- ¾ cup milk
- ⅔ oz butter
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 4 tbsp flat-leaf parsleychopped
- 2 eggs
- 1 pinch grated nutmeg
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 2 tbsp dry breadcrumbs (optional)only if needed
- 12 ½ cups salted water for simmering
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Cut the 10 ½ oz day-old soft pretzels into 1 cm cubes and put them in a large bowl. Warm the ¾ cup milk until hand-hot and pour it over, toss and leave for 10 minutes.
12 minStep 2: Meanwhile melt the ⅔ oz butter in a small pan over a medium-low heat and soften the 1 onion for 5 minutes until translucent. Stir in the 4 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and take off the heat.
6 minStep 3: Add the onion mixture, 2 eggs, 1 pinch grated nutmeg and 1 pinch black pepper to the soaked pretzels and knead with your hands for a minute until it binds. It should hold together when squeezed; if it is wet, work in the 2 tbsp dry breadcrumbs.
3 minStep 4: With wet hands, shape 8 round dumplings, pressing firmly so there are no cracks.
5 minStep 5: Bring the 12 ½ cups salted water for simmering to the boil, then turn it down until it barely trembles. Slide the dumplings in and simmer gently for 18–20 minutes without a lid; they float and feel springy when done. A rolling boil makes them fall apart.
20 minStep 6: Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain for a moment and serve with mushroom cream sauce or red cabbage.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does brezenknödel take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Pfälzer SaumagenStuffed pig's stomach
Saumagen is the pride of the Palatinate, served at wine-village festivals and family dinners from the Haardt hills to Ludwigshafen. A cleaned pig's stomach is stuffed with diced pork shoulder, pork sausage meat, potato and carrot seasoned with marjoram and nutmeg, poached slowly, then sliced thick and fried until crusty. The stomach works only as a casing and is ordered from a butcher; if you can't get one, bake the same filling in a covered terrine in a water bath. Serve with sauerkraut and mashed potato. Chef's tip: fill the stomach only three-quarters full, or it bursts as the potatoes swell.
TashmijabiMashed potatoes with stretchy cheese
Potatoes grow well in the cold valleys of Svaneti, and tashmijabi is how families around Mestia turn them into a feast dish: they are mashed hot, then beaten with handfuls of young sulguni until the purée becomes glossy and stretches from the spoon in long strands. It is served with grilled meat, kubdari or simply with pickles and Svan salt. A common mistake is letting the potatoes cool before adding the cheese; they must be piping hot for the cheese to melt and stretch. Chef's tip: keep the pan on a low heat while you beat, and use a firm wooden spoon. Most sulguni uses animal rennet; choose a vegetarian one or use mozzarella.
Georgian
Yorkshire puddings
In Yorkshire the pudding was once served first, on its own with gravy, to fill people up before the meat; today these puffed, crisp-edged cups sit beside the roast at Sunday lunch all over England. The batter is nothing but eggs, flour and milk, and the trick is in the heat: smoking-hot fat in the tin and a hot oven. Serve with onion gravy for a vegetarian roast. Chef's tip: rest the batter for at least 30 minutes, which helps the puddings rise tall and even.
British