Potato dumplings and bread dumplings

Bavaria has two everyday dumplings that belong next to a roast with plenty of gravy: potato dumplings, made from a mix of raw and cooked potatoes, and bread dumplings, made from day-old rolls soaked in milk. This guide explains what Germans mean by Knödel and Kloß, where dumplings come from, what each one goes with, and gives the editors' recipes for both, plus the trick the Munich chef Alfons Schuhbeck uses to keep them in shape.

German dumplings: Knödel or Kloß?

The word Knödel is a diminutive that goes back to Middle High German knode, a small knot, and belongs to the same family of words as Knolle (tuber) and Knoten (knot), which name thickened things. It is the usual term in southeastern Germany, Austria and South Tyrol. In northern and western Germany the same thing is called Kloß, and Thuringia, too, is famous for its Klöße.

Where dumplings come from

According to the Austrian register of traditional foods, the history of the dumpling cannot be traced exactly. The oldest known picture is a fresco from the 12th or 13th century in the chapel of Hocheppan castle in South Tyrol: next to Mary in childbed, a woman spears a dumpling from a pot. Dumplings made from flour or bread are considered the oldest forms; among poorer people, bread dumplings were common until well into the 16th century. The potato dumpling is a newcomer that only caught on in Austria about 200 years ago.

Bavarian potato dumplings

The Bavarian agriculture ministry's database GenussErbe Bayern lists Bavarian potato dumplings in all seven of the state's administrative regions. Their dough is usually made from mostly waxy, yellow fleshed potatoes, and the key to the flavor is a ratio of roughly half raw and half cooked potatoes, although local mixes differ. Potato starch is usually added so the dough is easy to shape and does not stick to your finger. Finished Bavarian potato dumplings are round, 5 to 7 centimeters (2 to 2 3/4 inches) across, pale yellow and weigh 100 to 180 grams (3.5 to 6.3 ounces). They hold their shape and soak up more gravy than dumplings from elsewhere.

According to the same database, potato dumplings first came from Thuringia and spread into Franconia via the Coburg area, which became part of Bavaria in 1921. Ready-made dumpling dough has been sold since 1974. At the Oktoberfest they are a standard side: in 2026 both the Löwenbräu tent and the Schützen tent charged 6.80 euros for a potato dumpling on the side.

Bread dumplings: the Semmelknödel

GenussErbe Bayern describes bread dumplings, Semmelknödel in German, as balls of rolls, eggs, onions and milk cooked in water, and lists them in all seven Bavarian regions as well. They are served with roast pork, roast goose legs and mushroom dishes, and they also float in a good meat broth. A popular Bavarian variation uses stale pretzels instead of rolls: for pretzel dumplings, brush off the coarse salt first, otherwise they turn out too salty. It is a good use for leftover Bavarian pretzels.

Bread dumplings recipe

Recipe by the editors, serves 4 (8 dumplings). Prep 25 minutes, soaking 15 minutes, resting 15 to 20 minutes, cooking about 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• 10.5 oz (300 g) day-old white rolls (about 6 kaiser rolls), cut into 1/2-inch (1 cm) cubes
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (250 ml) milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) butter
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt, freshly ground pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 to 2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs, only if needed
• Plenty of salted water for cooking

Instructions

1. Put the bread cubes in a large bowl. Warm the milk until lukewarm, pour it over the bread, cover and let it soak for 15 minutes.
2. Cook the onion in the butter over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until translucent, stir in the parsley for a moment and add everything to the bread.
3. Add the eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix loosely with your hands until the mixture is even and holds together. Do not knead it into a paste. Let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Bring a large, wide pot of salted water to a boil, then turn the heat down until the water only simmers and no longer bubbles hard.
5. With wet hands, shape one test dumpling and put it into the water. If it falls apart, work 1 to 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs into the mixture. Then shape 8 dumplings about 2 1/2 inches (6 cm) across, pressing them firmly.
6. Slide the dumplings into the simmering water and cook them uncovered for about 20 minutes. They are done when they float and are no longer doughy inside.
7. Lift them out with a slotted spoon, drain briefly and serve at once.

Potato dumplings recipe

Recipe by the editors for 8 dumplings, half raw and half cooked potatoes as in the Bavarian tradition. Prep 40 minutes, cooking about 50 minutes, plus cooling time for the boiled potatoes; you can boil them a day ahead.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 lb (1 kg) yellow, mostly waxy potatoes such as Yukon Gold, divided in half
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for the cooking water
• A little freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 to 3 tablespoons potato starch, as needed

Instructions

1. Boil half of the potatoes (1.1 lb / 500 g) in their skins for about 25 minutes until tender. Peel them while warm, press them through a potato ricer and let them cool completely.
2. Peel the other half and grate it finely. Work quickly, because grated raw potato turns gray in the air. Wrap the grated potato in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can over a bowl.
3. Let the squeezed liquid stand for 10 minutes, carefully pour off the water and keep the white starch that has settled at the bottom.
4. Combine the riced potatoes, the grated raw potatoes, the settled starch, salt and nutmeg and knead briefly into a smooth dough. If it sticks to your finger, work in potato starch one tablespoon at a time.
5. With wet hands, shape 8 round dumplings about 2 1/2 inches (6 cm) across.
6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and add the dumplings. Cook them uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until they float and are cooked through; cut one open to check.

Alfons Schuhbeck's trick

The Munich chef Alfons Schuhbeck does not shape his published pretzel dumplings into balls. He forms the mixture into logs about 2 inches (5 cm) thick, wraps them first in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil, and cooks them in barely simmering water for about 30 minutes. They are served sliced, so every portion has the same size and the wrapping holds the soft mixture together. The full recipe is available from Alfons Schuhbeck on schuhbeck.de (in German); he uses the same method for pan-fried bacon dumplings.

Serve them with a pork knuckle or sauerbraten; more classics are on Bavarian food. In German: Der Semmelknödel and Brezenknödel.