If you don’t have butter, you can substitute vegetable shortening.
Stop kneading as soon as the crumbs from the bottom of the bowl are incorporated into the dough. Working the dough too much will make tough dumplings.
While you don’t have to roll the dough into a specific shape, try to roll it into a square or a rectangle. This will make it easier to cut the dough into small squares.
For wavy dumplings, use a fluted pastry wheel to cut the dough. If you prefer long, thin dumplings, leave the dough in long strips and don’t cut them into squares.
Avoid pushing the dough down into the soup or broth.
To test if the dumplings are doughy, insert a toothpick into the thickest one. It should come out clean if the dumplings are finished cooking.
Consider chilling the shortening to make it easier to cut into the flour.
You should now have a firm dough. Don’t worry if it’s not completely smooth because the batter will still be slightly lumpy.
You should now have a firm dough. Don’t worry if it’s not completely smooth because the batter will still be slightly lumpy.
If you made small dumplings, they’ll cook faster than large ones so begin checking them at the 10 minute mark.
If you don’t want to throw the egg white away, save it to use in another recipe.
If the dough comes together before you’ve added all of the water, you don’t need to use it all. Adding too much water will make the dumplings heavy.
If the dough sticks to your palms, dust them lightly with flour.
If you’re using stew, ensure that the stew meat is cooked before you add the dumplings.
Insert a toothpick into the center of a dumpling. It should come out clean if they’ve finished cooking. If you prefer, put the pot in a 375 °F (191 °C) oven and bake the dumplings for 30 minutes.
