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You are here Home » Around the World » German Recipes » German Spaetzle Dumplings

German Spaetzle Dumplings

March 24, 2017 by Sarah Ozimek Leave a Comment

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German Spaetzle are tender, eggy dumplings that make a great addition to a hearty meat main dish. 

German Spaetzle, are tender, eggy dumplings that make a great addition to a hearty meat main dish. | Curious Cuisiniere

German Spaetzle: Little Dumplings

Although loved throughout the country, Spätzle or Spaetzle is specialty of the South-Central (Swabian) region of Germany.

Spaetzle dumplings served with creamy cheese and caramelized onions.

What makes spaetzle even better? CHEESE!

The word Spaetzle (pronounced SHPAYT-zel) comes from the word Spatz, which means ‘little sparrows.’ It is thought that the dumplings got their name from the original method of making them using two spoons which created a small dumpling that looked like a sparrow.

German Pasta: Spaetzle

The dough for Spaetzle is quite basic, made from flour, eggs, water, and salt. (Although you will find variations that call for different liquids: milk, sparkling water, and even beer.)

Compared to pasta dough, it is softer and more moist, the type of dough you can’t roll out into sheets. Instead, it must be shaped by pressing or ‘cutting’. There are a number of tools you can use to press Spaetzle: a press, a flat colander called a Sieb, or a cheese-grater like slicer called a Hobel.

Making our German Spaetzel recipe with Curious Cuisiniere

But, really, you can use any metal kitchen gadget that has holes roughly the diameter of a pencil. We don’t have any of the special tools, so we used a slotted serving spoon. It made some beautiful Spaetzle!

Making German Spaetzle Dumplings

The Spaetzle strips are pressed or cut into boiling salt water. They cook just long enough for them to rise to the top of the pot. Once done, it is best if Spaetzle is served immediately. But, if you will be serving your Spaetzle later, you can add a tablespoon of oil to the boiling cooking water. This will prevent the Spaetzle from sticking together.

This method makes a nice and tender, egg-y Spaetzle. For a denser, creamier Spaetzle, take a look at our recipe for Kaesespatzle (Cheese Spaetzle) which gives you a bit of a thicker dough and uses the “cutting” method.

German Spaetzle, are tender, eggy dumplings that make a great addition to a hearty meat main dish. | Curious Cuisiniere

German Spaetzle Dumplings from Curious Cuisiniere
Print This Recipe
German Spaetzle Dumplings
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
55 mins
 

German Spaetzle are tender, eggy dumplings that make a great addition to a hearty meat main dish.

Yield: 4 c of spaetzle 

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: German
Servings: 4 - 6 people
Calories: 155 kcal
Author: Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere

Ingredients
For the Spaetzle Dough
  • 2 c white whole wheat flour*
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ - ½ c water
To Cook the Spaetzle
  • 3 quarts water
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil (optional)
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, and nutmeg.
  2. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add eggs. Scramble the eggs slightly with a fork, mixing them with the flour mixture. Add the water, a little at a time, mixing until a soft dough forms. (Your dough should be somewhere between a drop biscuit dough and a stiff muffin batter. It should be spoon-able, but not pour-able.)
  3. Cover the dough loosely with a tea towel and set it aside to rest for 15 minutes.
  4. While dough is resting, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil with 1 Tbsp salt. (You can add 1 Tbsp of oil to your water if you would like, to keep the cooked Spaetzle from sticking together. If you will be sautéing your Spaetzle after boiling, this is not necessary.)
  5. Scoop your rested batter into your Spaetzle pressing tool. (Any metal kitchen gadget with holes roughly the diameter of a pencil will work well. Don’t have anything? Grab a cutting board and a spatula and check out this recipe for making Spaetzle using the board cutting method.)
  6. Press the Spaetzle dough through the press into the boiling water. Once the Spaetzle bobs to the top of the water, it is done. Remove it using a slotted spoon. (But, not the one you’re using to press the Spaetzle dough!)
  7. Place the boiled Spaetzle into a bowl and continue with the rest of the dough.
  8. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

*You can use all purpose flour to make your Spaetzle; however, you will most likely need less water to get the dough to the proper consistency.

 


DISCLOSURE: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. These links are provided to help you find some of the more specialty products we mention in the recipe. If you make any purchase clicking through our links, we receive a small commission from Amazon, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Curious Cuisiniere!

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Filed Under: Around the World, German Recipes, Side Dish Recipes Tagged With: Pasta

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