How fantastically COOL!!!!!!!! Congrats on finding the recipe and good luck! I bet it will be fantastic :-)

Alexa

Here is another recipe. It is from about.com, but pretty similar to what we made growing up in Germany. I'm just to lazy right now to translate my German recipe.

Dampfnudeln
These dumplings caramelize on the bottom, which gives them a nice, chewy bite with soft insides.

Serves 4 for dinner, 8 for dessert.

Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast (1/2 envelope)
4 T. sugar, divided
1/4 c. lukewarm water (110°F)
3/4 c. lukewarm milk (110°F)
4 T. melted butter, divided
1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/4 - 2 1/2 c. sifted all purpose flour, or more if necessary
1/2 c. cold milk
Preparation:

Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in the warm water. Let stand 5 minutes, or until bubbly.

In a bowl, stir the milk, melted butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until dissolved. Add the bubbling yeast mixture and then the flour, beating until a smooth dough forms. Add flour as necessary, until the dough can be formed into a soft ball.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 5 minutes. Place it back in the bowl, which has been lightly greased or sprayed. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Punch dough down, divide into 12 pieces, shape the pieces into balls. Place the balls 2 inches apart on a lightly oiled baking sheet, cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 10 inch skillet or saucepan with a tight lid. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar and the milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, arrange the dumplings in the saucepan and cover. Simmer for 25 minutes without peeking and then check. Keep simmering until the dumplings have absorbed all the liquid. Remove from heat but keep warm until serving.

Serve warm, bottom side up, with Vanilla Sauce and tart fruit compote.

If you have leftovers, place them on a plate, bottom side up and cover with a clean towel, not plastic. Eat cold or reheat in oven. Eat within 1 day for best quality.

glaserberl - where are you from? Reading the bits and pieces of info I googled it sounds like the sweeter variations and the cook in milk and sugar variation are from Bavaria. The oil, salt water are from the Palatiante-Alsace area.

I tried making it - burned it. I think I had it on high too long. The crust formed but ran out of liquid and was dry so I couldn't get it off the bottom. So not sure if not enough oil, water, both, too high heat. The bread part, not sure, could have cooked maybe a bit more and I need to form it tighter, better somehow....
My mother initially used an old cast iron dutch oven, then an electric skillet. I was using a Le Creuset dutch oven on an electric stove.......I'll either have to break down and get an electric skillet or probably go through a few more batches till I see what works for me in the LC

I'm from Berlin and you are right the sweet version is from the southern parts of Germany. They are not common to the Berlin region at all. Some of my relatives were from Bavaria and that's how they made it and I learned. You do have to be careful that they don't burn, especially when cooking them in milk.

I'm really happy to be reading this! I was served (but never knew how to spell it :) dampfnudel many times by old German friends with stewed fruit as a lunch. She would make this huge batch of mixed stewed fruit (apricots and prunes mostly) and we would have a big bowl with the great dampfnudels with their crusty, salty dark-browned edges sitting in the bowl. They weren't sweet, just the fruit was.

Not sure where these people were from - but my inlaws were from Markdoberdorf (please don't crucify me for the spelling) where the great castle is (I can't possibly attempt to spell that one but it begins with an N). These German friends could have come from that region. They lived in Morristown NJ in a log cabin that they built in 1945 and were such outdoor folks, active hikers and were just wonderful people. Thank you for the memories!

I have made the sweet version a couple of times. The recipe I have is basically a white bread dough. After the dumplings raise, I add milk to the pan and steam them with that. I usually serve it with vanilla sauce.
Lisa

Woodie, I think you mean Neuschwanstien, or Cinderellas castle, outside of Munich. Walt Disney used it as his model.

Yes, Peppi, thanks! That's the castle - my father-in-law was always so proud of it. It was too late for me last night to try to spell it and look it up, LOL. Every time you talk about your German heritage and your good food I am reminded of my in-laws :)

Mary, my ancestors are Germans from Russia too. Dampfnudel isn't a name I've heard of, but that sounds very much like something my mother still makes. We just call them dumplings. She browns chicken in a deep electric skillet, then tosses in cubed potatoes, salt and pepper, then adds water to about half way up the chicken, then places these little loaves on top of everything. When the water has cooked away and we hear the potatoes crackle, it's done! Lovely soft pillows of bread with a hint of chicken flavor. The first time I had dumplings at a friend's house, I thought, "Hey, who are they trying to fool? They don't know what a dumpling is."

Doona - how interesting! There is another forum member who has a Volga German ancestory. Mine is Black Sea German, my parents got here in 1953. Most people in the States, especially the prairie states of Neb, ND, people came over much earlier.
How bout you?

Mom's grandparents are from Gluckstal, Russia and settled in Leola, SD in 1892. Dad's are from Kaussel, South Russia and settled in Eureka, SD in 1885. Mom was born in Aberdeen, SD, Dad in Leola, SD. I've never visited SD. About 6 years before I was born, Dad came home from work one snowy winter evening, complaining about the bitter cold and asked Mom what she thought about moving to California. Her reply was, "When can we leave?"