Plum Dumplings – Step by Step
For these traditional Austrian plum dumplings, plums are wrapped in a potato dough and covered in sweet buttery and nutty bread crumbs. They can be eaten as a dessert, or a sweet main course. I love to eat them for lunch! Depending on the size of the plums and the thickness of the dough surrounding the plum, this recipe will make 8 to 12 dumplings. Instead of plums, you can use other (small) stone fruit, like apricots, too. If you prefer curd cheese dough over potato dough, you can use this recipe.
Yield: 8 -12 dumplings (depending on plum-size)
Ingredients
For the plum dumplings:
- 500 g /1.1 lb potatoes (starchy ones that are good for mashing)
- 8-12 plums (see notes)
- Optional: 2 tablespoons granulated sugar for filling the plums
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons (37 g) wheat semolina (= cream of wheat or wheat farina; alternatively more ap-flour)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt + a pinch
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 large egg
For the breadcrumb-nut coating:
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (50 g) plain, fine dry breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup (50 g) ground hazelnuts (if not on hand, use other ground nuts or more breadcrumbs)
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Cook potatoes: Boil the potatoes until fork tender, about 20-30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel them and process through a ricer. If you don’t have a ricer, grate them using the small holes of a box grater. Make sure there are no potato chunks left since they make forming the dough difficult. Let the riced/grated potatoes cool.
- Prepare plums: Meantime, wash the plums. Cut each plum lengthwise, but not all the way through, just enough to be able to pit them. Remove pits. If you have a sweet tooth, you can fill them with half a teaspoon of sugar (I never do). Alternatively, you can leave the plums whole with the pit inside – this way it is easier to wrap the dough around. Set plums aside.
- Make the dough: Put grated potatoes in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and butter, then add flour and semolina. Stir until most of the flour is worked in. Add the egg and incorporate with a fork, then briefly knead the dough until the ingredients stick together and form a dough (do not overwork it). The dough will be sticky.
- Make dumplings: Divide the dough into 9 portions on a well-floured surface. Tip: If your plums are rather large, divide dough into 8 portions. If you like dumplings with a thin dough layer, divide into 12 portions but be aware that they are more difficult to wrap with thin dough.
- Flatten each portion to a round with well-floured hands and place a plum in the center.
- Tightly wrap the dough around the plum, sealing the edges and shaping it into a ball. If the edge isn’t sticking since you used too much flour, dip your finger in water and wet the edge to close the dough around the plum. Make sure you don’t trap any air inside or the dumpling will not sink to the bottom of the pot as it is supposed to but will float from the beginning. (No worries if it happens anyways, but it’s better if they are sinking down since the dough is cooked properly and the chance of bursting is lower.)
- Cook dumplings: In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Cook the plum dumplings for about 12-15 minutes in slightly simmering water (no rolling boil) – they should float towards the end of the cooking time. Make sure that they do not stick to the bottom of the pot.
- In the meantime, make the breadcrumbs.
- For the breadcrumb-nut coating: In a large pan, melt the butter, add the breadcrumbs and ground nuts. Stir well for a few minutes over medium heat until the breadcrumbs and nuts are slightly darker and smell nicely. Stir in sugar and cinnamon. Remove pan from the heat and keep an eye on the buttered breadcrumbs because the residual heat can burn them easily (stir regularly).
- Roll dumplings in crumbs: Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the pan with the breadcrumbs. Roll the dumplings in the crumbs until coated. Dust them with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately. Enjoy!
- If you have leftovers, store the dumplings in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep for up to 3 days.
Notes
Plums:
Use small oval damson plums or Italian prune plums. Usually, the pit removes easily with damsons, which makes things fuss-free. In general: The smaller the plums, the better since larger fruits may not cook through and will not soften properly in the short cooking time. Freezing instructions:
Pre-freeze the formed and uncooked dumplings on a baking sheet or cutting board lined with parchment paper. Leave some space in between the dumplings so they won't stick together later. Transfer the pre-frozen dumplings to a freezer bag (I always put 2 pieces in one bag for a single serving). For cooking, simply add the dumplings to boiling salted water, then simmer until cooked, see recipe above. The cooking time will be slightly longer.
Use small oval damson plums or Italian prune plums. Usually, the pit removes easily with damsons, which makes things fuss-free. In general: The smaller the plums, the better since larger fruits may not cook through and will not soften properly in the short cooking time. Freezing instructions:
Pre-freeze the formed and uncooked dumplings on a baking sheet or cutting board lined with parchment paper. Leave some space in between the dumplings so they won't stick together later. Transfer the pre-frozen dumplings to a freezer bag (I always put 2 pieces in one bag for a single serving). For cooking, simply add the dumplings to boiling salted water, then simmer until cooked, see recipe above. The cooking time will be slightly longer.