Thüringer Klöße
Thüringer Klöße: Thuringian raw-and-cooked potato dumplings with a crouton heart
In Thuringia, Sunday lunch without Klöße hardly counts: big, pale, springy dumplings made from two-thirds raw grated potato and one-third hot cooked potato paste, each hiding a few butter-fried croutons in the middle. They come to the table beside roasts with lots of gravy, red cabbage or a mushroom sauce, and the texture is unique, smooth, slightly chewy and very good at soaking up sauce. A common mistake is letting the water boil once the dumplings are in, which makes them fall apart; they should only just tremble. Chef's tip: work fast once the raw potato is pressed, because it greys as it meets the air.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dumplings
For the croutons
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Fry the 2 slices white bread cubes in 2 tbsp sunflower oil or vegan butter in a frying pan over a medium heat for 4 minutes until golden and crisp. Set aside.
5 minStep 2: Boil the 1 ⅜ lb floury potatoes for cooking in unsalted water for 20 minutes until very soft. Drain, then mash smooth with the 1 cup water and 2 tsp salt and keep the paste hot in the pan.
22 minStep 3: Meanwhile grate the 2 ⅞ lb floury potatoes for grating finely into a bowl of cold water. Tip into a clean linen cloth and squeeze very hard until almost no liquid comes out; you want a dry, crumbly mass. Let the squeezed-out starch settle, pour off the water and keep the white starch.
15 minStep 4: Bring a wide pot of water with 1 tbsp salt for the cooking water to a gentle simmer. Loosen the dry raw potato with the reserved starch, then pour the boiling-hot potato paste over it and mix quickly with a wooden spoon into a smooth, warm dough.
4 minStep 5: With wet hands, shape 12 balls the size of a tennis ball, pressing 2–3 croutons into the centre of each and sealing well.
8 minStep 6: Lower the dumplings into the water, which should barely move, and cook for 20 minutes without boiling. They are done when they float and a cut one is glassy and set right to the centre. Serve straight away.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does thüringer Klöße take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of sunflower oil or vegan butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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