Spaetzle is an egg dumpling found in Central European cuisines such as Alsace, southern Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, and Slovenia. The process of making spaetzle is quite different from that of pasta. To make pasta, you would usually form a dense dough with flour and eggs, which you knead, rest, roll, and cut. To make spaetzle, you mix together flour, eggs, water, and salt into a thick batter. You’ll find spaetzle described as ‘noodles’ or ‘dumplings’ and since the shape of spaetzle can vary from thicker lumps to thinner strings – both terms can be more or less accurate depending on the specific spaetzle in front of you.

The traditional way of making spaetzle is to add the batter on top of a wooden board and scrape it into a pot of salted boiling water. Nowadays, the easiest way to make spaetzle is to use a spaetzle-maker or a potato ricer. A piping bag is also an option!

Our spaetzle-maker is made up of a square box attached to a metal plate with holes similar to a cheese grater. The spaetzle maker is placed above the pot of water as the batter gets added into the box, which is moved back and forth to drop small chunks of batter into the water- forming the dumplings. The spaetzle bits cook very quickly. You will know they are ready when they float up to the surface.

Spaetzle is best served with meat dishes prepared with a sauce or gravy- like the classic Alsatian Coq au Riesling. Bouncy dumplings smothered in those umami sauces that your tastebuds just can’t say no to. Spaetzle also goes well with sausages. In Germany, it is famous with Frankfurt-style sausages for instance. You will also see recipes of spaetzle and cheese and of spaetzle and sauerkraut. These great options are a great reason to learn how to make spaetzle!

INGREDIENTS FOR SPAETZLE

• All-purpose flour
• Eggs
• Water
• Salt

TOOLS FOR SPAETZLE

• Spaetzle-maker, potato ricer, piping bag, or cutting board and kitchen scraper or knife

DIRECTIONS FOR SPAETZLE

1. Add water and salt to a large bowl and whisk until the salt has fully dissolved.
2. Add eggs and whisk until the yolks and whites blend together.
3. Sieve in a quarter of the flour at a time and whisk. Once the batter is well combined and there are no large lumps remaining, set aside.
4. Heat a large pot of water with a pinch a salt on medium-high.
5. If using a spaetzle maker, potato ricer, or piping bag: ladle about a cup of batter into the container and slide/press/pipe the batter into the boiling water to form small dumplings.
   If using the traditional method: ladle some batter onto a wet cutting board, then scrape small bits of batter into the pot of boiling water with a kitchen scraper or knife.
   NOTE: do this in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pot.
6. Cook the spaetzle, stirring gently until all the dumplings have floated to the surface of the water.
7. Remove the spaeztle from the pot with a slotted spoon and add to a bowl.
8. Repeat for the rest of the batter.
9. Just before serving, heat a large saucepan on medium and melt butter.
10. Add spaetzle and sauté until most of the dumplings have some crispy brown bits.
    NOTE: if you made more spaetzle than you can user in one sitting, only sauté enough for serving. Store the rest in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you are ready to eat, follow steps 9 & 10.
11. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

RECIPE VIDEO

Spaetzle • Alsatian egg dumplings

Recipe by Maxime Course: SidesCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy

Makes

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

30

minutes

Bouncy dumplings from Alsace made from just flour, water, salt and eggs. Best paired with a hearty stew like Coq au Riesling.

Ingredients

• Spaetzle batter

• 200 ml 200 water

• 4 g 4 salt

• 4 4 eggs

• 400 g 400 all-purpose flour

• For sautéing

• Butter or oil

• Salt

• Pepper

• Nutmeg

Equipment

• Spaetzle-maker (see Notes)

Directions

• Add water and salt to a large bowl and whisk until the salt has fully dissolved.
• Add eggs and whisk until the yolks and whites blend together.
• Sieve in a quarter of the flour at a time and whisk. Once the batter is well combined and there are no large lumps remaining, set aside.
• Heat a large pot of water with a pinch a salt on medium-high.
• If using a spaetzle maker, potato ricer, or piping bag: ladle about a cup of batter into the container and slide/press/pipe the batter into the boiling water to form small dumplings.
  If using the traditional method: ladle some batter onto a wet cutting board, then scrape small bits of batter into the pot of boiling water with a kitchen scraper or knife.
  NOTE: do this in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pot.
• Cook the spaetzle, stirring gently until all the dumplings have floated to the surface of the water.
• Remove the spaetzle from the pot with a slotted spoon and add to a bowl.
• Repeat for the rest of the batter.
• To serve: heat a large saucepan on medium and add butter or oil.
• Add spaetzle and sauté until most of the dumplings have some crispy brown bits.
  NOTE: if you made more spaetzle than you can user in one sitting, only sauté enough for serving. Store the rest in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you are ready to eat, follow steps 9 & 10.
• Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Recipe Video

Notes

• Tools: You can use a Spaetzle-maker, potato ricer, piping bag, or cutting board and kitchen scraper/knife.

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