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Houskové knedlíky
Czech bread dumplings: a yeast-raised loaf studded with toasted roll cubes, steamed and sliced
Houskové knedlíky are the sliced bread dumplings that sit beside almost every sauce in a Prague pub, from mushroom svíčková-style cream sauces to sweet-sour dill gravy. Unlike the round German Semmelknödel, these are a soft yeast dough rolled into a log with crisp cubes of stale roll inside, simmered whole, then cut into thick, spongy slices that drink up gravy. Czech grandmothers still slice them with a length of thread rather than a knife, which keeps the crumb open instead of squashing it. Chef's tip: cut the cooked loaf with a piece of cotton thread wrapped around it and pulled tight; a knife presses the slices into dense, gluey discs.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
For the bread cubes
To cook
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Warm 1 ¼ cups whole milk to blood heat (it should feel neither warm nor cool on your wrist) and stir in 1 tsp caster sugar and ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast. Leave for 5 minutes until a light foam forms on top.
5 minStep 2: Melt ⅔ oz butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat and toss 3 stale white rolls in it for 5–6 minutes, until golden and crisp at the edges. Tip onto a plate to cool; warm cubes would melt into the dough.
6 minStep 3: Put 1 ⅛ lb plain flour and 1 ½ tsp salt in a large bowl, add the yeasty milk and 1 egg, and mix to a soft dough. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth, glossy and slightly tacky; it should come away from the bowl.
10 minStep 4: Work the cooled bread cubes into the dough with your hands until evenly spread. Cover and leave in a warm place for 45–60 minutes until roughly doubled.
50 minStep 5: Bring a very wide pan of water to the boil with 1 tbsp salt for the cooking water. Divide the dough in two and roll each piece into a log about 6 cm thick and 20 cm long. Leave them on a floured board for 10 minutes to puff up again.
10 minStep 6: Lower the logs into the boiling water, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn them over with two spatulas, cover again and simmer another 10 minutes. A common mistake is a pan that is too small: the dumplings swell by half again and need space to float.
20 minStep 7: Lift out and pierce each log a few times with a skewer to let the steam escape, so the crumb stays fluffy rather than going wet. A skewer pushed into the centre should come out clean.
Step 8: Slice 1.5 cm thick with thread or a very sharp knife and serve hot with mushroom or dill sauce. Leftover slices reheat beautifully over steam or fried in butter with egg for breakfast.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does houskové knedlíky take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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