Homemade Dumplings

Ingredients

• 180 g (1½ cups)Gold Medal™ plain flour
• about 1 g (1 tablespoon)dried parsley flakes, if desired
• 8 g (2 teaspoons)baking powder
• 3 g (½ teaspoon)salt
• 42 g (3 tablespoons)shortening
• 180 ml (¾ cup)milk

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix dry ingredients

   In a medium bowl, combine the flour, parsley, baking powder and salt.

2. 2

   Cut in shortening

   Use a pastry blender or two knives worked across each other to cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the milk.

3. 3

   Cook the dumplings

   Drop the dough in 10 spoonfuls onto the meat or vegetables in boiling stew, taking care not to drop it directly into the liquid. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, then cover and cook for 10 minutes longer.

What are homemade dumplings?

These are spoonfuls of simple flour dough cooked on top of a stew rather than boiled separately. Dumplings like these are familiar in home-style cooking, where they turn a bubbling pot into a filling one-dish meal.

This version uses baking powder for lift and shortening for a tender, crumbly dough. Parsley is optional, so the dumplings work just as well as a plain, savoury topping.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 105 calories, 3g protein, 15g carbs, 4g fat.

The flour and milk provide most of the carbohydrates, while the shortening contributes much of the fat; the flour and milk also supply some protein. Serve a dumpling with a generous share of the stew's meat or vegetables to make a more balanced plate.

The dough ingredients

Dry ingredients: mixing the flour, baking powder, salt and parsley first distributes the raising agent and seasoning through the dough.

Shortening: cut it in until the mixture looks like fine crumbs, as directed. This helps keep the cooked dumplings tender rather than tough.

Milk: stir it in to bring the mixture together, stopping once there is no dry flour left. The recipe gives no instruction to knead the dough.

Getting the stew ready

Boiling stew: add the dumplings when the stew is hot and bubbling, so they begin cooking straight away.

Placement: spoon the dough onto the meat or vegetables, not directly into the liquid. Keeping the mounds above the liquid lets them cook as a topping rather than disperse into the stew.

How to tell they are cooked

Uncovered stage: leave the pot uncovered for the first 10 minutes of cooking. Then cover it and cook for 10 minutes more, following the recipe's timing.

Texture: the dumplings should be set through rather than doughy in the middle. If you are unsure, check one in the centre of the pot before serving.

Serving the dumplings

With stew: serve the dumplings straight from the pot alongside the meat or vegetables they cooked on. Spoon some of the stew around them so each portion includes both the soft topping and the savoury base.

At the table: they are best served hot, soon after cooking, while their surface is still soft from the covered steaming stage.

Herb options

Fresh herbs: for a more pronounced herb flavour, replace the parsley with 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh basil, sage or thyme, as suggested in the recipe.

Dried herbs: use 1 teaspoon of dried basil, sage or thyme instead of the parsley. Celery seed is another option given in the recipe.

Recipe notes & tips

• Measure the flour without packing it into the cup, or weigh it for consistency.
• Cut the shortening in until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
• Stir the milk in just until the dough comes together.
• Keep the stew boiling when you add the spoonfuls of dough.
• Place each dumpling on the meat or vegetables rather than directly in the liquid.
• Follow the uncovered and covered cooking times so the dumplings have time to set.

Variations

• Fresh herbs: use 2 teaspoons of chopped basil, sage or thyme in place of the parsley.
• Dried herbs: use 1 teaspoon of dried basil, sage or thyme instead of the parsley.
• Celery seed: swap the parsley for 1 teaspoon of celery seed.
• Self-raising flour: replace the plain flour with self-raising flour and leave out the baking powder and salt.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Dropping dough into the liquid: place spoonfuls on the stew's meat or vegetables so they cook as dumplings.
• Adding dumplings before the stew boils: wait until it is bubbling so the cooking starts promptly.
• Overworking the dough: stir in the milk only until the mixture comes together to avoid tough dumplings.
• Skipping the covered stage: cover the pot after the first 10 minutes and cook for 10 minutes longer.
• Using too much flour: measure it carefully so the dough does not turn dry and stiff.

How to store

Refrigerate leftover dumplings with the stew in a covered container and use within 3 days. Reheat gently in a covered saucepan until hot throughout; the dumplings may soften as they sit in the stew.

Frequently asked questions