READY IN 1½ hrs

Knedliky - Czech Dumpling with Sauerkraut (Zeli)

Read Reviews (22)

"This was my grandmothers recipe and it has remained a family favorite... It should be served with roast pork, sauerkraut and a nice glass of beer. A very traditional way to eat the leftover dumplings the next day for breakfast or brunch is to chop them up into cubes, pan fry in a little butter; then add eggs and milk, and cook as if you are making scrambled eggs. It's great." — none

Directions

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center, and pour in the eggs and 1 cup of milk. Stir to blend, and add enough additional milk to make a moist battery dough, not like pancake batter. Use a sturdy wooden spoon to beat the dough at least 200 strokes, rolling it over and over in the bowl until smooth and an occasional bubble appears on the surface. Add the dry white bread cubes, and stir into the dough until they disappear.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the dough onto a cheesecloth or white cotton cloth, and form into a loaf shape. Wrap the cloth around the loaf, and tie the ends.
Place the loaf into the boiling water, and cook for 45 minutes, turning the loaf over about half way through. Remove from the water, unwrap, and cover with a tea towel. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Fry bacon in a small skillet over medium-high heat until evenly browned. Set aside. Place the drained sauerkraut into a saucepan, and add enough water to cover the surface. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add bacon, and season with salt, pepper and caraway seeds. Stir together the cornstarch and water; mix into the sauerkraut, and simmer for a few minutes before removing from the heat.
Slice the dumpling loaf. Drizzle dumpling slices with some of the roast drippings from the pan. Serve with sauerkraut.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 45 mins
COOK 45 mins
READY IN 1 hr 30 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Apr 09, 2008

I can finally make my grandmother's dumplings! I followed another reviewer's advice, and left out the baking soda. I also only used 2 eggs. My grandmother always shaped her dumplings using her wet hands, so that's what I did and it worked out perfectly. As for the sauerkraut, I did my grandmother's. She always made hers with caraway seeds, chopped onions and brown sugar, so that's what I did. Made a pork roast in the slow cooker with the zeli and I had a childhood dinner I begged for! I don't have a dumpling slicer (but my grandmother is giving me hers), so I used thread to slice them. The leftover dumplings were cubed and I made another childhood favourite....egg dumplings. They were perfect!

—KarenTheMiltch

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Mar 17, 2006

Where is the salted water? Skip the baking soda, add another tsp or 2 of baking powder. No need to keep kneading it..just mix it all together until soft/doughy but still holding it's shape. I roll my smaller (hand sized) football shaped knedlick in a little flour just barely and then throw into boiling SALTED water..I don't cover it, just let it cook for 25 minutes poking with a fork and rolling about 3-4 times while cooking. Remove and slice with knedlicky cutter from czech, or let cool and cut with bread knife into bread width pieces. Don't complicate simple recipe...mix-boil and be done!

—Eurocook

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26 Ratings

Nov 11, 2005

Well, I'm Czech too but never heard of wrapping the dough in a cloth! Basically, same ingredients but fold in the bread cubes, form into small loaves, flouring your hands. Let sit for a few minutes until water boils. Gently lower into water, put cover on pot but leave it slightly askew to vent and gently simmer for 20 minutes. Remove, slice. Sauerkraut: rinse can of sauerkraut; put into saucepan and add enough water to almost cover sauerkraut. Cook for 20 minutes or so. In small skillet, brown butter, add flour to make a roux and add that to the saucepan with the sauerkraut. That should do it!

—FOXGLOVE1

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Jun 04, 2010

This is a wonderful recipe I am 100% Czechoslovakian and it was only once a year on my birthday that I would get pork roast and dumplings for my b-day dinner. My mom would never take the time to give me the recipe. Once I found this recipe, I was in HEAVEN. In my opinion, I have perfected this recipe and I can make my dumplings in less than one hour. As far as this recipe goes, I use everything up to the breadcrumbs. As for the milk, I keep that to a minimum as well as the breadcrumbs. I do stir all of the ingredients as directed however; I use judgment with the milk as to not make it too moist of a batter. The breadcrumbs are added last. I have found that too many breadcrumbs create air pockets for water to enter when boiling. Once my dough is mixed, I will use "Wondra Gravy Flour" to roll them to their desired shape. Almost as though you would flour a cutting board for bread dough. (I just use the Wondra flour.) The dough yields enough to make two good size rolls, about what a muffin size would be. I then boil my water to a strong rolling boil. Drop in my dumplings and then boil for approximately 20 min. constantly rolling and turning.

—CzechChick

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Jul 11, 2006

What a treat to find this recipe! Both of my grandmothers and my own mother passed away before I became interested in cooking and I have always regretted not learning this traditional meal. Thank you Sonya, for the detailed instructions (it brought back so many memories). Unfortunately, my dumplings were not quite as light and fluffy as Babicka's (grandmother's) but this does take some practice. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the recipe and instructions. I may have over-kneaded and possibly cooked them just a little too long but they were still very delicious. I would like to add one valuable tip I found on another site (however, the instructions and ingredients on that site left alot to be desired)...rather than cutting with a knife which can compress the dumplings, use a long piece of dental floss to cut them into slices for serving. It leaves them virtually in their true form and allows the steam to escape so that they don't turn out too hard. This is the only advice I can offer. Sonya, dekuji mockrat (many thanks) for this recipe!!

—BDKE

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Nov 27, 2005

Please be sure that the bread cubes have been dried out. They should be hard. Sauteed onions should also be added to the sauerkraut.

—none

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Feb 22, 2006

This is almost exactly like my grandmother used to make it, with the exception that she dropped individual "blobs" of dumpling dough into the water. This is how my family continues to make it. Then we serve it with pork roast and sauerkraut.

—Kevin Harper

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Sep 15, 2008

I have been trying to replicate my grandmother's knedlicky recipe for a while now- the cheesecloth is a great suggestion! Thanks!

—MJ

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Nutrition

Calories
345 kcal
17%

Carbohydrates
50.2 g
16%

Cholesterol
92 mg
31%

Fat
10.2 g
16%

Fiber
3.3 g
13%

Protein
12.2 g
24%

Sodium
1053 mg
42%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Knedliky - Czech Dumpling with Sauerkraut (Zeli)

Serving Size: 1/8 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 345
Calories from Fat: 92

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 10.2g 16 %
Saturated Fat 3.5g 17 %
Cholesterol 92mg 31 %
Sodium 1053mg 42 %
Potassium 291mg 8 %
Total Carbohydrates 50.2g 16 %
Dietary Fiber 3.3g 13 %
Protein 12.2g 24 %
Sugars 4.4g
Vitamin A 4 %
Vitamin C 14 %
Calcium 18 %
Iron 42 %
** Thiamin 50 %
Niacin 51 %
Vitamin B6 11 %
Magnesium 11 %
Folate 72 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.