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NOV27 COOKBOOK›Sweets

Austrian Apricot Dumplings

Dry Bröseltopfen, no kneading, a 2:1 butter-crumb coat and two-phase poaching.

Prep 40 min · Base 10 dumplings

v1.0 · Stable

This is moisture management. Wet supermarket quark needs twice the flour and turns dumplings into rocks. Austrian Bröseltopfen — pressed dry in a paper brick, about 10% fat — barely carries any whey, so the dough stays tender. Coarse Griffiges flour swells slowly in the fridge and binds the rest. And never knead: in a dumpling dough, gluten means rubber.

  • + No kneading
  • + Simmer at ≈ 95 °C
Ingredients02

Method

  1. 1

    Smooth curd base

    Mash the Bröseltopfen, soft butter, egg yolks and salt with a sturdy fork until completely smooth — no dry white curd specks left.

  2. 2

    Fold in the flour — do not knead

    Scatter all 160 g of the coarse flour over the curd at once. Fold with a scraper or wooden spoon just until a cohesive, slightly sticky mass forms.

  3. 3

    30 minutes in the fridge

    Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes. The coarse flour swells, absorbs the free moisture and turns the sticky paste into a smooth, rollable dough.

  4. 4

    Stone the apricots

    Push the round handle of a wooden spoon through each apricot from the stem end, keeping the fruit whole. Put one sugar cube into each cavity — it melts into syrup while poaching.

  5. 5

    Shape seamless dumplings

    Flour your hands lightly. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Flatten each in your palm, set an apricot in the centre, close the dough around it and roll between your palms until the seam disappears.

  6. 6

    Two-phase poaching

    Bring a wide pot of lightly salted water to the boil, then turn it down to a gentle simmer (≈ 95 °C) — never a rolling boil. Phase 1, 8–10 minutes: simmer until the dumplings float up on their own. Phase 2, 3–5 minutes: let them steep at the surface so the heat reaches the fruit and dissolves the sugar.

  7. 7

    Roast the butter crumbs

    Melt 150 g butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add 300 g breadcrumbs and roast, stirring constantly, until golden. Take the pan off the heat, then stir in 95 g sugar, 16 g (≈ 2 packets) vanilla sugar and 1 g cinnamon — off the heat so nothing turns bitter.

  8. 8

    Straight from the water into the crumbs

    Lift the dumplings out with a slotted spoon and drop them dripping wet into the hot crumbs. The starchy water binds with the buttery crumbs into a thick, crunchy coat. Roll generously and serve hot.