Dumplings

[MSS726]

You ladies are genius! I am putting off my Netrition order until they have the glucomannan back in stock (Jan. 31). Can't wait to try the rolled dumplings. Not a big fan of puffy. Either way, they look amazing, though.

[shunsweets]

Just made these dumplings to have with some crockpot beef cubes and gravy I had cooking. I've never had a regular dumpling so don't know how these compare but they were delicious with the beef and gravy over them. Really yummy! I'm so happy as I have had a bunch of recipe flops lately. I will make these often. Thank you so much Buttoni!

So, dumb question, what else are dumplings good with?

[buttoni]

I love them best in Chicken and Dumplings. But sometimes I do Italian-style gnocchi with a cream sauce of some type over them. they're also good in any soup you'd like noodles in.

[yougottaeat]

I made these today. Rolled them out between 2 parchment sheets after letting the dough rest a few minutes. They worked great and were very tender and held together very well even after staying in the broth after cooking. They puff up some even after rolling quite thin. Thanks so much for the recipe. They are great and very filling!

[buttoni]

Glad those came out for you and better yet, that you liked them, YGL! I'm going to try rolling my next batch tomorrow night. I thawed a chicken, so you know what I'm having.

[CindyCRNA]

For all of you having success, are you making the recipe as written? Adding extra water? Beating the heck out of it? I did wisk mine until smooth but thought that was safe as it doesn't have any glutton to toughen.

[JMCM1]

Originally Posted by CindyCRNA

For all of you having success, are you making the recipe as written? Adding extra water? Beating the heck out of it? I did wisk mine until smooth but thought that was safe as it doesn't have any glutton to toughen.

Cindy, I made the recipe as written. I did not beat the heck out of it (although I agree there's no gluten to toughen), I began folding it into itself and then I let it sit there a few minutes.

I was able to roll it into little balls without it being too sticky, and drop them into the slowly simmering broth.

Even after sitting in broth all night they retained their shape and fluffy texture the next day.

[CarolynF]

The dough reminds me of cream puff dough, if you know what that looks like.

[CarolynF]

Another side note: If you cook them too long they will be rubbery..It all depends on
the size of your dumplings and the temp of your water..

[Yaz]

Originally Posted by CarolynF

Another side note: If you cook them too long they will be rubbery..It all depends on
the size of your dumplings and the temp of your water..

I actually like the texture of them being a little firmer.

For my last batch I rolled them quite firmly into 76 tiny balls and simmered in a covered frying pan for 15 minutes. The texture was chewy but not really rubbery but then I may just be weird!

[buttoni]

I made Chicken and Dumplings again tonight and put chopped parsley in them. They came out nice! I rolled small dollops in my palms into 14 smallish balls and dropped them into gently simmering stock. They almost doubled in size in exactly 10 minutes flat on medium heat. Not a single one fell apart in my broth this time, so I think rolling in your hands or or rolling flat on a board like Dianafoot does, improves their ability to hold together better during cooking. Tonight mine were slightly firm under fork resistance and not rubbery at all. DH really likes these things!! THAT really surprises me!

Cindy, like Judy, I fold my dough into itself repeatedly (sorta kneading in a way) with a rubber spatula for a minute or so (since the batter is pretty wet at first) to allow the gluc to "toughen" and dry out the surface of the dough a bit for handling/rolling. Folding and patting the ball of dough until the spatula doesn't want to stick to the dough anymore is when I figure the gluc has done all the toughening and drying it is going to do.

[Ann Lytle]

Peggy, I was making veg. beef soup yesterday and decided to try your dumplings again. This time it worked and I could even roll them into balls without sticking to my hands. They didn't get any bigger and tasted a little doughy though, not sure what I'm still not doing right, but evidently something. I may try again later.............. Ann

[buttoni]

Well, I think they DO taste a little "doughy", Ann. (smiling) That's what they are really. And that's what my hubby LIKES about dumplings, he admits ashamedly. But didn't yours absorb any of your beef broth flavor? Mine always take a lot of the broth's flavor, whatever that is, which I really like. I only cooked them in plain water ONE time, and they FOR SURE tasted "doughy" and awful, done that way. Never again in plain water.

[Ann Lytle]

These tasted a lot doughy, Peggy. The outside did have a little flavor from the broth. They didn't puff up at all and my baking powder was new, I had just opened it. I did them in my crock pot, it was bubbling, but maybe it won't work in the crock pot. I let a neighbor taste one and was told yuck......... ; o ) ............... Ann

[buttoni]

Mine always puff up, nearly double in size during cooking. So something has got to be causing yours to not swell during cooking. And I KNOW you measure everything carefully. I'm truly stumped, Ann. Wonder if the "new" baking powder might have sat on the grocer's shelf too long and it was "not so new" afterall? I just can't understand them not puffing up nearly double in size. Mine always do. I suppose that might move me to suspect the crock pot might not be cooking them hot enough or fast enough? I don't own one anymore, so I can't test that out for you. I never like anything I cooked in a crock pot, so I ditched it years ago. Try your next batch in broth simmering slowly over regular stove burner and see if that doesn't work.

[lterry913]

Can xanthum be substituted for gluc...does anyone know and would it be an even exchange?

[buttoni]

No, I would not try these dumplings with xanthan instead. The gluc has different qualities when mixed with water that cause it to swell up and create the "dough" ball. Xanthan won't do that in water. You'd just have a puddle of wet goo in the bowl I think.

[JMCM1]

Originally Posted by Ann Lytle

These tasted a lot doughy, Peggy. The outside did have a little flavor from the broth. They didn't puff up at all and my baking powder was new, I had just opened it. I did them in my crock pot, it was bubbling, but maybe it won't work in the crock pot. I let a neighbor taste one and was told yuck......... ; o ) ............... Ann

Oh - I'm sorry for that.
I get so excited for these new cooking discoveries and am sometimes disappointed, too.

I agree with Peggy, though, mine did puff up to double their original size. They were so tender and yes, doughy.

I actually adore my crock pot but made my dumplings in a sauce pan with lid, and in broth. I wonder if it's the crock pot? Now that I just typed that, it seems unlikely. It's still heated, it's probably a nice slow bubble... what a mystery!

[lterry913]

Originally Posted by buttoni

No, I would not try these dumplings with xanthan instead. The gluc has different qualities when mixed with water that cause it to swell up and create the "dough" ball. Xanthan won't do that in water. You'd just have a puddle of wet goo in the bowl I think.

Thankyou for answering so quickly...will add gluc to my cart

[Deb34]

Originally Posted by dianafoot

Okay, I had to ask myself, why am I so gung-ho about trying something that I never really liked in my high-carb days? I never much cared for the puffy, roundish dumplings, but I loved the flat homemade wide noodle-shaped dumplings that were a tradition where I grew up. I tried this recipe anyway, and they are really good!

My next step, when I saw how nice and soft and workable the dough was, was to try rolling out a few to make flat noodles like my mother used to make. OMG! this is it!! The chicken and dumplings North Carolina-style that I thought I would never never eat again. Thank you, Peggy, you have done it again!

did the broader flatter 'noodle' type hold together well? Did they dissolve at all?

[Deb34]

Originally Posted by buttoni

DO NOT try to use this dough for open oven baked cobbler topping. I just did today, laying the rolled out dough over some sugar-free pie filling and baked it 20 minutes at 375º. It did get dry to the touch, but curled up around the edges and was tough/rubbery and not dough-like at all.

what if you tried to re-constitute this by simmering it in water? Would it come out the way dry pasta cooks?

[Deb34]

Originally Posted by Yaz

In the first batch of dumplings I made in chicken broth a couple of them broke apart (I had the water boiling too vigorously) but they thickened up the stock really nicely.

In the past I tried adding straight gluc & water to stir fry to thicken up the sauce and it turned out very goopey/jellyish.

So I think it is something about the combo that thickens soups/stews nicely.

FYI, I don't have extra large or jumbo eggs, just large. So I added 5 grams of egg whites to the recipe and it turned out great. I also let it sit for a few minutes and it was not nearly as sticky as the first time I made them and I was able to roll them into little balls very easily. By rolling them they held together much better as well.

the 5 gm of egg white you added, was it liquid egg white or powdered.

[dianafoot]

Originally Posted by Deb34

did the broader flatter 'noodle' type hold together well? Did they dissolve at all?

Yes, they held together very well. I mixed the dough until it was workable and smooth--it was soft but elastic. The first batch I just rolled out on a wooden cutting board with a cylindrical glass and they didn't stick to the board or the glass. I cut them into wide strips with a pizza cutter and dropped them in the boiling broth and simmered, covered for 10 minutes. They weren't quite done at that point so I let them simmer for another 5 minutes. They were very tender, but they were quite sturdy at the same time.

I pulled them out and put them on a plate for a few minutes to dry a little bit, then stored the ones I didn't eat right away in a tupperware container. The ones I stored at another time in a zip-lock bag stuck together, but they were still edible. The second time I made them, I rolled them on a sil-pat and they did just fine.

[Yaz]

Originally Posted by Deb34

the 5 gm of egg white you added, was it liquid egg white or powdered.

It was pasteurized liquid from a carton.

[Deb34]

Originally Posted by dianafoot

Yes, they held together very well. I mixed the dough until it was workable and smooth--it was soft but elastic. The first batch I just rolled out on a wooden cutting board with a cylindrical glass and they didn't stick to the board or the glass. I cut them into wide strips with a pizza cutter and dropped them in the boiling broth and simmered, covered for 10 minutes. They weren't quite done at that point so I let them simmer for another 5 minutes. They were very tender, but they were quite sturdy at the same time.

I pulled them out and put them on a plate for a few minutes to dry a little bit, then stored the ones I didn't eat right away in a tupperware container. The ones I stored at another time in a zip-lock bag stuck together, but they were still edible. The second time I made them, I rolled them on a sil-pat and they did just fine.

Originally Posted by Yaz

It was pasteurized liquid from a carton.

thanks ladies, I feel the urge to experiment coming on!

[buttoni]

Originally Posted by Deb34

what if you tried to re-constitute this by simmering it in water? Would it come out the way dry pasta cooks?

I guess I don't understand what you're saying. I just tossed the rubbery crust in the trash. I wouldn't WANT to "reconstitute" it, as it was covered with cherry pie filling goo (which hubby licked off bef ore I tossed it LOL).

[Deb34]

oh, I thought you might be able to rescue it, if it didn't have the goo i guess. Treat it like dry pasta...sorry if I can't clarify what I mean.

[buttoni]

Oh, no, I don't think it could have be rescued for any purpose. My husband says I'm the "queen" of salvaging food for a new use, but I didn't even try this time. Besides, it was just an egg and a little gluc, so tossing it out was easy even for this die-hard food rescuer. Truth be known, I'd have to confess to failures with much more expensive ingredients than that. LOL

[Deb34]

LOL, I try to salvage to but sometimes there is no hope.

[buttoni]

This was one of those "no hope" situations. LOL