Käseknödel
Käseknödel, known as canederli di formaggio in Italian, are South Tyrolean bread dumplings packed with alpine cheese, served in brown butter with chives or broth.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 480 kcal
Equipment
- •Large mixing bowl
- •Small frying pan
- •Large stockpot
- •Slotted spoon
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- fat
- 25 g
- carbs
- 46 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 18 g
- calories
- 480 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Melt 20 g butter in a small pan and fry the diced onion until soft and translucent.
- 2
Place the cubed bread into a large bowl.
- 3
Whisk the warm milk, beaten eggs, salt, black pepper and grated nutmeg together in a measuring jug.
- 4
Pour the milk mixture over the bread and leave to rest for fifteen minutes.
- 5
Add the softened onions, grated cheese, flour and half the chives to the soaked bread.
- 6
Mix gently with your hands until a cohesive dough forms without crushing the bread cubes completely.
- 7
Wet your hands with cold water and shape the mixture into eight compact, smooth round dumplings.
- 8
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a gentle simmer.
- 9
Lower the dumplings into the water and simmer gently for fifteen minutes until they float.
- 10
Melt the remaining 60 g butter in a small pan until it turns golden brown and smells nutty.
- 11
Lift the dumplings out with a slotted spoon onto warm serving plates.
- 12
Drizzle the brown butter over the dumplings and scatter with the remaining fresh chives.
Chef's tips
Moisten your hands with cold water before shaping each dumpling to create a smooth, sealable surface. Keep the water at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil so the dumplings do not break apart.
Ingredient substitutions
- Graukäse (Tyrolean grey cheese) → a mix of mature mountain cheese, Fontina or mature Gruyère
- Knödelbrot (pre-cut dumpling bread) → stale crustless white rolls or milk bread diced into neat cubes
Storage
Keep leftover cooked dumplings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Reheating
Slice leftover cold dumplings into rounds and fry in a knob of foaming butter until crisp and golden.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the cooking water too vigorously, which causes the dumplings to break apart.
- •Overworking the dough with your hands, which makes the dumplings heavy and rubbery.
- •Skipping the resting time, which prevents the stale bread from hydrating evenly.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Käseknödel?
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