dumplings with blueberries

Leavened Dumplings with Blueberries

Recipe provided by Janek Palat, owner of Sweet Prophecy

Makes: 14 dumplings

Prep & cook time: 30 min

Ingredients:

For the dumplings:

• 6 ¾ oz. (200 ml) lukewarm milk*
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast OR 4 ½ teaspoons of fresh yeast
• 3 ¼ cups (400 g) flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg*
• ¼ cups (40 g) sugar

For the filling:

• blueberries (or any other fresh fruit: apples*, apricots, plums, peaches, etc.)

For the topping:

• confectioners sugar
• Farmers cheese (or substitute with chèvre*)
• Melted butter 

*Ingredients available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

Instructions:

1. Combine milk, yeast and a pinch of sugar in a bowl and cover it with a cloth. Allow it to set until it rises (about 10 min).
2. Add all the other ingredients and mix together (by hand or using a mixer) until the dough has a smooth texture and does not stick to the spoon. Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes. 
3. Divide the dough into 14 pieces. Process each piece into a flat round shape then add the blueberries (3-5) and close it from all sides, shaping into a ball. You will prepare 14 balls from this batch.
4. The best cooking method for these dumplings is steaming – just remember to allow enough space between dumplings when placing them into a steamer. They will grow dramatically during steaming and almost triple their volume. You don’t want them to stick to each other, which is why it’s best to leave enough space between each dumpling.
5. Steam for about 5-8 minutes, check the dumpling with a skewer to ensure that dough does not stick. 
6. Once the dumplings are ready, you can serve them immediately. Add some farmer cheese on top of each dumpling, sprinkle it with confectioners sugar, melt some butter and pour over the dumplings for a delicious multi-dimensional taste. “Dobrou chuť!” or Bon appetit!

Note: Another way to prepare the dumplings is to cook them in boiling water. Make sure you have a pot full of water and don’t overfill it, so there is only 1 layer of dumplings in the pot. Cook for approximately 8-10 minutes.