Dampfnudel!

Hey Everyone,

So, Bread Week of the Great British Bake Off and once again I've decided to do the technical challenge; this time dampfnudels!
For those who don't watch the Bake Off, a dampfnudel is a sort of sweet dumpling, served usually with plum sauce and a vanilla sauce. The dough also has a slight taste of orange too, so that flavours all compliment each other very well!

 Dampfnudels are originally from Germany (though they are popular in Alsace, France) and they are unusual because instead of being baked in the oven, they are steam over the hob. They're very famous in Freckenfeld and Kandel, Germany where they have the dampfnudel city gates!
The ones that I made were very tasty and where definitely better warm. I'd advise that if you make them, to have plently of people ready to eat them, as the recipe makes twelve and dampfnudels are surprisingly filling Also, whilst making them, don't lift the lid off the pan until very near to the end of your time cooking or the dampfnudels won't rise enough!

Before watching the Bake Off, I'd never heard of a dampfnudel before and didn't have a recipe for one, so I went on the BBC Food website and found the Paul Hollywood recipe which I found worked really well!

Dampfnudel - By Paul Hollywood

Makes 12

Making Time - 1-2 Hours

Cooking Time - 30 minutes to 1 hour

Ingredients -

• 500g Strong White Bread Flour, plus extra for dusting
• 100g Caster Sugar
• 7g Fast-Action Yeast
• 150ml Milk, warmed
• 2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
• 70g Unsalted Butter, melted
• 1 Lemon, finely grated zest only
• Vegetable Oil

Plum Sauce

• 4 Ripe Plums, roughly chopped and stones removed
• 1 Medium Orange, juice only
• 50g Demerara Sugar
• Pinch Ground Cinnamon

Vanilla Sauce

• 150ml Milk
• 150ml Double Cream
• 3 Large Egg Yolks
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
• 1 Tsp Plain Flour
• 50g Caster Sugar

Poaching Liquid

• 25g Unsalted Butter
• 150ml Milk
• 25g Caster

1. For the dampfnudel, tip the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar to one side of the bowl and the yeast into the other. Add the milk, eggs and butter and turn the mixture round using your fingers until you have a rough dough and have picked the flour from the sides of the bowl.

2. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 mins. Work through the initial wet stage until the dough starts to form a soft, smooth skin. Scatter the lemon zest on top of the dough and knead until evenly incorporated.

3. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise for at least 1 hour until doubled in size. Meanwhile, for the plum sauce, tip the plums and orange juice into a large saucepan. Sprinkle over the sugar and cook over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and boil for 10 mins, squashing the plums using a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the cinnamon. Leave to cool slightly, then blend to a thick sauce. Set aside.

4. For the vanilla sauce, heat the milk and cream in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat to just below boiling point then remove from the heat. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, vanilla paste, flour and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Pour over the warmed milk, whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over a very low heat for 3-4 mins, stirring continuously until smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and set aside. Cover the surface of the sauce with cling film, to prevent a skin forming.

5. Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Turn inwards repeatedly until all the air is knocked out. Divide the dough into twelve pieces and roll into balls. For the poaching liquid, heat the butter, milk and sugar in a large sauté pan with a tight fitting lid over a medium heat for 5 mins or until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and, taking care not to burn yourself, add the dough balls, ensuring that they are all sitting on the base of the pan. Leave to stand for 15 minutes until doubled in size.

6. Reduce to a low heat and cook, covered, for 25-30 mins (keep an eye on them as they will burn easily, so check them towards the end of the cooking time and add a little milk if they start to catch). Remove the lid and cook over a low heat for a further 5-10 mins until the bases are golden brown and caramelised. Meanwhile, gently reheat the plum and vanilla sauces.

7. Remove the dampfnudels from the heat and carefully lift the pan with the golden crust upward, with the warm plum and vanilla sauces alongside.

Please Enjoy!!!