This recipe for Austrian flour dumplings consists of a very simple dough made from salted flour and boiled water, without eggs or fat.
The dough is very easy to shape and fill, and the dumplings can also be frozen. More information on freezing flour dumplings can be found further down in this article.
In the recipe below, I have used a minced meat filling, but the dumplings also taste great with cracklings, smoked bacon, leftover roast pork, roast goose, boiled beef, or smoked ham.
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A Little Backstory
My cousin Philipp recently mentioned an old recipe our grandma used to make for him all the time, these meat dumplings wrapped in a simple flour dough. Unfortunately, she couldn’t remember how the recipe went anymore. So I started digging through some of her old handwritten recipe notebooks and cookbooks, especially because I was really curious about this type of dough.
In the classic Austrian cookbook “Wiener Küche” by Olga and Adolf Hess, I came across a recipe for meat dumplings made with flour dough. The dough itself is incredibly simple, made with just flour and boiled water, and it’s perfect for shaping. My cousin said it sounded very similar to what he remembered, so he basically gave it his seal of approval, and now I’m sharing it with you!
Variations
The dough can also be enriched with a splash of oil and an egg for a slightly softer texture.
These simple flour dumplings taste delicious filled with crispy pork cracklings or smoked bacon. You can also use finely chopped or ground leftovers such as roast pork, roast goose, boiled beef, or smoked pork as a filling.
Tip: To make the dumplings easier to fill, you can shape the filling into small balls and freeze them for a few hours beforehand. This makes forming the dumplings much easier.
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Video
In this video you can see a short overview of the most important steps for the recipe. Follow my Youtube channel for more similar recipes! ;D
Ingredients
Makes about 12–16 dumplings
For the flour dough:
- 500 g all-purpose flour (about 4 cups)
- 1 pinch salt
- 625 ml water (about 2 ½ cups)
Note: I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the dough as accurately as possible.
For the ground meat filling:
- 1 tablespoon fat, such as canola oil
- 1 onion
- 2–3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika powder, optional, my grandma made it without paprika
- 500 g ground meat (about 1.1 lb)
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- Pepper
Note: For the filling, a kitchen scale isn’t necessary. You can adjust the spices and ingredients to your taste. You can, for example, substitute the ground meat with leftover smoked ham, bacon, or other meat, finely chopped or ground.
What’s important is that the filling isn’t too wet and holds together well, which makes the dumplings easier to fill.
Freezing Flour Dough Dumplings
These dumplings can be frozen either cooked or uncooked, making them perfect for meal prep. You’ll always have a few on hand that you can take out individually and cook whenever you like!
For best results, place the dumplings on a tray or baking sheet so they aren’t touching. This prevents them from sticking together while freezing and makes it easy to remove them one by one. After a few hours, transfer the frozen dumplings to an airtight container.
To cook from frozen, simply boil them as you would fresh dumplings, adding about 5–10 minutes to the cooking time.
Side dishes to Meat Dumplings
My grandmother used to serve these meat dumplings with a side of simple green salad. The dressing for the salad usually containing white vinegar, sugar, neutral oil, salt and chives.
Traditional side dishes to meat dumplings are usually Austrian Cabbage Salad or Sauerkraut, either raw, or cooked, for example like in my granny's Viennese Style Sauerkraut Recipe.
RECIPE
Grandma’s Flour Dough Meat Dumplings (Mehlteig)
Zutaten
For the dough:
- 500 g all-purpose flour ~4 cups
- 1 pinch salt
- 625 ml boiling water 2 ½ cups + 1 tbsp
For the meat filling:
- 1 tablespoon fat e.g., oil or lard
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder optional (my grandma often skipped this)
- 500 g ground meat ~1.1 lb
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- pepper to taste
Anleitung
Make the dough
- Bring the water to a boil.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour with the salt.
- Slowly pour the boiling water over the flour, stirring constantly with a spoon.
- Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes, then knead it into a smooth, elastic ball.
Prepare the filling
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion until translucent. Add the pressed garlic and paprika powder, cooking for just a few seconds to release the flavor. (Not too long, otherwise the paprika gets bitter.) Stir in the ground meat, marjoram, and pepper. Cook until the meat is fully done, then remove from heat and let cool.
- Fill a large pot halfway with water, salt lightly and bring it to a gentle boil while you shape the dumplings. It’s important to add the dumplings to the simmering water as soon as possible after shaping to prevent the filling from spilling out.
Shape the dumplings
- Lightly flour your work surface and shape the dough into thin rounds. If the dough feels too sticky or wet, lightly flour your hands or the surface. If the dough feels too dry add a few more tablespoons of water or oil.
- Place about 1 tablespoon of the cooled meat mixture in the center of each piece.
- Fold and seal the dough carefully.
- Roll each dumpling into a round shape.
- Tip for perfect dumplings: Wet your hands slightly before rolling the dumpling into a ball. This helps create a smooth surface and prevents the dough from sticking to your hands.
Cook the dumplings
- Add the dumplings to the pot and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the pot to make sure the water isn’t boiling too hard or barely simmering. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon and serve immediately with sauerkraut or green salad.
(c) by Angelika Kreitner-Beretits / Vienna Sunday Kitchen
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