Canederli | Classic Bread Dumpling Recipe

Going by a few different names, these bread dumplings are common in Germany, Austria, Hungary, and—perhaps surprisingly—Italy. Although this unique dish didn’t originate in Italy, it fits perfectly into the traditions of Italian cuisine and is an absolutely delicious treat that we think everyone should try at least once.

Canederli | Classic Bread Dumpling Recipe

One of the most traditional ways to prepare canederli is to cook and serve them in a vegetable or meat broth. Our favorite version, however, is made with a butter, sage, and speck sauce, which is what we have presented below.

A Note on the Bread

For this recipe, you’ll want to use a semi-stale bread. It shouldn’t be rock hard, but also not fresh out of the oven—about 2 to 3-day-old bread should be perfect. As always when we call for bread in a recipe, it should be good, real bread, made with nothing more than flour, water, salt, and yeast.

Similarly, the breadcrumbs should be fresh breadcrumbs, meaning from bread that isn’t completely stale and hard yet. Avoid dry, crunchy crumbs and look for some that are still a little soft. These can be tricky to find in a store, but you can easily make your own by blending some bread that is no more than 2 or 3 days old.

As always in Italian cuisine, avoid any added flavors or ingredients in breadcrumbs. No herbs, no garlic, no salt. Just plain bread.

Because every bread varies, and the level of staleness has a big impact on the final result, you will likely need to adjust the ingredients to get the right dough consistency. The dough should be soft and moldable, quite sticky, but not too wet. You may find that you need a little more breadcrumbs to absorb extra moisture, or a little less if your dough is drier.

All About Speck

Speck is a fundamental ingredient for making canederli. It’s a type of cold cut, resembling prosciutto, but with a completely different flavor due to how it is seasoned, smoked, and aged. For this recipe, you’ll need some chopped speck for the dough, plus some paper-thin slices for the sauce.

When sold, speck usually comes sliced very thin (like prosciutto crudo). It can be tricky to find a thicker piece for the chopped portion, and if you can’t find it, just roughly chop some “normal” slices as a substitute.

While prosciutto crudo looks similar, don’t think that it will make a good substitute. Prosciutto becomes extremely salty when cooked and won’t even come close to the real flavor canederli should have.

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CANEDERLI RECIPE

Makes: 2 servings

Cook Time: 1 ½ hours

For this recipe, you will need:

• 3.5 ounces (100 grams) semi-stale bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

• ⅔ cup (150 milliliters) whole milk

• 1.75 ounces (50 grams) chopped speck for the dumpling dough, plus 1.75 ounces of sliced speck for the sauce

• 1 large egg

• ⅓ cup (30 grams) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

• A pinch of grated nutmeg

• Fresh black pepper

• Salt

• Fresh breadcrumbs, as needed

• 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 grams) unsalted butter

• 6 to 8 fresh sage leaves

Place the bread into a shallow dish and add the milk. Give the milk about 30 minutes to soak into the bread (we recommend stirring every now and then for even distribution).

In a large mixing bowl, combine the soaked bread, chopped speck, egg, grated cheese, chopped parsley, nutmeg, a pinch of pepper, and a generous sprinkle of salt. Mix all together thoroughly by hand. The dough should be solid enough to mold and shape, still quite sticky, but not too wet. If needed, mix in some breadcrumbs to soak up extra moisture. Let the dough rest for 15 to 30 minutes, covered.

Scoop a small handful of dough into your hand and roll it into a ball. It should be like a large meatball, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) in diameter. Set the dumpling aside and repeat to shape all of the dough into canederli.

Put a large pot of water on to boil and salt it generously. While the water heats, cut the sliced speck into short strips. Combine the butter, sage, and speck strips in a large non-stick pan over low heat. Melt the butter and continue to heat on low until it begins to brown slightly and the speck begins to curl and crisp, then turn off the heat.

When the water comes to a rolling boil, place the dumplings into the pot and very gently give them a stir to prevent sticking. Let the canederli boil until the dumplings float to the surface of the water, at which point they are cooked.

Turn the heat under the butter pan up to medium. Using a slotted ladle, transfer the canederli into the pan. Gently toss all together until the pasta begins to brown slightly. Serve immediately, topped with the speck, sage leaves, and any extra butter there might be in the pan.

Buon appetito!