10/19/2025
Plum Dumplings
Szilvás gombóc
Ingredients :
2 pounds (0.9 kg) of yellow-fleshed potatoes cooked and peeled, 2 egg yolks, 2 1/3 - 3 cups (300-400g) of flour, 1-2 tablespoons of room-temperature-butter, 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar, 2 pinches of salt
Filling: 15-20 small-sized plums (if you have larger sized ones, use half of the fruit only), sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar
Coating: 6 tablespoons of sunflower oil or 4 tablespoons of butter, 2 cups (250 g) of fine breadcrumbs, two tablespoons of sugar, cinnamon (optional)
I would like to mention that new potatoes have a higher water content, so they are not the best for dumplings. However, if you want to make the dumplings nowadays, you might need to add a little more flour.
Cook the potatoes, let them cool a little bit, and mash finely. When the potatoes are still warm, add 2 pinches of salt and room-temperature butter. Stir it with a wooden spoon, like if you were making mashed potatoes. We want the potatoes to become a little bit silkier in texture. When the potatoes are at room temperature, add the egg yolks, sugar and mix well. Then, gradually add the flour and knead the ingredients into a dough.You will get a very soft dough that is a little bit sticky, but that's normal. Many recipes suggest rolling the dough and cutting it into squares, however, l think this step is not necessary. It is hard to roll this kind of soft dough since it easily sticks to the working surface. Instead of rolling out the dough, flour your hand well and tear off a small amount of the dough. Flatten it out by using your hands to the thickness of ⅓ inch or 8 mm, and place the plum on it (you can also add a little plum jam, like l did). Shape it into a nice ball, then coat the ball in flour and place it on a well-floured surface.
Bring a large pot of slightly salted water to a gentle boil and carefully add the balls (you may boil half of the balls first and then cook the second batch). To prevent sticking, stir the balls gently during the first two minutes. Cook the balls on a medium heat, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, toast breadcrumbs in a frying pan on oil or butter for 2-4 minutes. Stir the mass continuously. Toast the breadcrumbs until they turn into a golden brown color. At the end, add a little cinnamon and roll your cooked, still-hot balls in the warm breadcrumbs, then set aside. Serve with powdered sugar and cinnamon.