A: My favourite food, you probably know it, are H-E-F-E [yeast] dumplings. Have you ever eaten those?
B: Hm.
A: No? But you know potato dumplings, right?
B: No.
B: Yes.
A: Right, everybody knows those, but that’s not what I mean. I’m referring to different ones. H-E-F-E [yeast] dumplings.
B: Yes, they are typically filled with plums or vanilla sauce.
A: Ah, yes, they can habe plums, too.
B: No? You mean different ones?
B: Yes, or with cherries. Or with cherries. Those can also be in there sometimes.
A: But I don’t make them with plums.
A: No.
B: Yes, sometimes those are in there. They usually have those at town festivals. Dampfknödel [lit. steam dumplings].
A: No. Those aren’t yeast dumplings. That’s something else.
B: Those aren’t yeast dumplings? Are they special in some way?
A: Many don’t know yeast dumplings.
A: They are hard to make. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.
A: Ich can explain why. So, first/
A: No. Well, I like yeast dumplings because oftentimes you already have the ingredients at home and they are cheap.
A: And just the dumplings by themselves are very filling.
A: First you need a cube of yeast.
A: I sprinkle sugar on it.
A: Then you need hot milk. About this much, one cup.
A: You heat it up in the microwave.
A: Then you slowly pour the milk over the sugar, which melts, and the yeast dissolves.
A: Then you stir the mixture well.
A: You stir the milk and the yeast until the yeast has completely dissolved.
A: Then you add a little salt and continue stirring.
A: Lastly, you add the flour. Bit by bit you stir the flour in until the dough is not sticky anymore. Good.
A: Then I cover the dough and set the bowl on the heater.
A: When it has risen I knead it.
A: Then I put it back on the heater to let it rise more.
A: Then you can roll it out.
A: Of course you have to sprinkle flour on your workspace beforehand, so that the dough doesn’t stick to it.
A: You form a roll and slice it into portions that about fit in your cupped hand.
A: One after another, you roll the pieces of dough into balls with your hands.
A: You can modify the size according to your preference.
A: At the same time, you’ve already set a big pot of water to boil. The water has to boil.
A: WASSER5*
A: When the water is boiling, you can get started.
A: You put the yeast dumplings in the water. Make sure they’re spaced evenly and they fit well into the pot.
A: They float on top of the boiling water.
B: You just put them in the water?
A: Yes, just put them in. Done.
B: You don’t need a sieve in the pot?
A: No, you don’t need a sieve. You just put them directly into the hot water. They will float on top.
A: After a certain amount of time you flip them over.
A: They can’t stay in the water for too short or too long.
A: In either case, they could collapse in on themselves.
A: That’s why making these dumplings is a bit complicated. Oftentimes it works. For me it’s always exactly 50:50.
A: Sometimes they collapse and become way too hard.
A: And sometimes they turn out right, fluffy like a cake bottom. That’s how they’re supposed to be.
A: kuchenboden
A: KUCHEN9
A: RUND7^*
A: So you flip them over now and then.
A: When it’s time, when you’ve flipped them and they’re ready, you take them out and put them in a sieve to let them cool off.
A: That is the crucial moment. Here I can see whether they collapse or not.
A: In that case, I did something wrong. But if they turn out fluffy and stay that way, everything is well.
B: Phew. That is too complicated for me.
A: Well. I usually serve roulades and vegetables with the yeast dumplings.
B: Like bread dumplings? So it’s like using bread dumplings, but differently, using yeast dumplings? I don’t know that combination.
A: Yes. You can also buy ready-to-use mixtures in little sachets, but I don’t do that. I make them myself.
A: I serve roulades with gravy with the dumplings.
A: The gravy needs just the right, medium consistency, not too thick, not too thin, but somewhere in between. And when the/
A: DÜNN1
A: So, when the yeast dumplings are ready, you have to tear them open with a fork.
A: Don’t cut them with a knife. If you cut them open, they will not soak in the gravy.
A: You have to tear them open with a fork on each side. Then they will soak up the gravy well.
A: So you eat them with meat and vegetables. Red cabbage pairs well with them, or carrots and peas, whatever you like.
A: MÖHRE3A*
A: möhre
A: It depends on the season as well.
A: I usually eat them with red cabbage or carrots and peas. I don’t like red cabbage that much, I make it for the kids. For myself, I prepare some other vegetables.
A: What I love about eating this dish is when the dumplings are soaked with gravy. That is so yummy.
A: But my grandma is better than me at making yeast dumplings. So far, I haven’t managed to make dumplings as great as hers. Darn!
A: I’m still experimenting with how to get them just right, cooking the dumplings just on point, so that they don’t collapse and stay fluffy.
A: When they collapse I still eat them. But they become hard and are difficult to chew.
A: They don’t soak in the gravy and they taste a bit different.
B: Interesting. I think of dumplings being more like bread rolls or cake-like.
A: Cutting them/
B: But yours are kind of savoury. That confuses me.
A: Yes, that’s right. They are.
A: If you have any leftover, no problem, you can put them in the freezer.
A: When you take them out of the freezer you let them thaw.
A: You can hang a sieve over boiling water and let them thaw in there.
A: And then I take a pan and add a thick slice of butter, lard and a bit of salt to it.
A: Then I tear the dumplings open and add them to the pan. They soak up the butter. It tastes fantastic but you’ll feel so full.
A: And it’s cheap. It doesn’t cost much.
A: That’s a typical war-time dish my grandma and grandpa would have cooked back then.
A: OMA3*
A: oma
A: OPA5*
A: opa
A: It was a way to feed everyone.
A: I love these yeast dumplings.
B: Interesting.
A: There’s also those filled with plums, you’re right. But I don’t make them that way.
B: I was wrong about that. I meant Dampfknödel [lit. steam dumplings]. These thick, filled ones. But those are different than the yeast dumplings.
B: You can’t serve the plum-filled ones with roulades and gravy, the way you make them. No way. Those are unrelated.
B: I prefer them sweet, with vanilla sauce or filled with plums or cherries.
A: No, no/
B: When you cut those open, the fruit juice flows out. But yours are completely different.
A: No, those are different.
A: So that is my favourite food.
A: But you need time to make it and you have to stay close while the dumplings boil. You can’t just walk away and leave the pot alone.
A: You have to stay there and watch them boil.
A: The water can’t be too hot, but it also shouldn’t cool down too much immediately after boiling.
A: You have to find exactly the right balance.
B: Oh no, that’s too complicated for me. I don’t even want to have the recipe.
C: Says, B could eat it at A’s when she visits A.
B: [Towards M] Yes, she’s welcome to make it for me.
A: Yes, I can do that.
C: Asks A about the preparation time.
A: Well, stirring and mixing the ingredients takes about ten minutes.
A: The dough needs to sit on the heater for about one hour.
A: Kneading it and letting it rise again takes another 15 minutes.
A: Then you have to portion and form the dough. So, I think in total it can take up to three hours.
C: Says, that if you made it for lunch you’d be busy from about 10 am on.
A: No, for example I might prepare them today, put them in the fridge and eat them tomorrow.
A: I wouldn’t have the time to eat them on the same day. I wouldn’t manage that
A: Sometimes I prepare them for the next day, sometimes for the day after. They’ll keep.
A: For example, if I know I won’t be able to eat them on the next day, I can already look forward to eating yeast dumplings the day after that.
A: I make them when #Name1 is at work.
A: When he is at home and on vacation, I don’t make them.
A: He’s not a big fan of them.
A: VERRÜCKT-SEIN-NACH1B^
A: [MG]
A: I cook that dish when he’s at work. Then the three of us can eat it.
C: Asks A, how often she makes them in one year.
A: Well, I’d say I eat them about four times a year. It depends on how often I crave them and on my time. I probably make that dish about three or four times per year.
A: When I don’t have time, I tell my mom to make them for me. So, well, it depends.
C: Says, that he now has a new recipe to write in his book and asks A to write it down for him.
B: I don’t want or need it. It’s too complicated for me.
B: If the success of preparing it depends on one minute or even half a minute of boiling it, I’m out. No, thanks.
A: Yes, it can depend on that.
A: It is demanding. It can depend on half a minute. If you make a mistake, it’s ruined. That’s right.