STRAWBERRY DUMPLINGS WITH COTTAGE CHEESE
These sweet dumplings with strawberries are real summer treat. You can prepare it as a sweet main dish or as a dessert. These fluffy dumplings can be also prepared with prunes, blueberries or apricots.
Servings: 5 people
Calories: 460kcal
Equipment
- Large sauce pot with lid
- cheesecloth or stainless steamer
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp instant yeast or 20 g fresh yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 cup (250 ml) lukewarm milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
STRAWBERRY FILLING
- 2 cups (300 g) fresh strawberries clean and cut
- 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
COTTAGE CHEESE TOPPING
- 1 cup (200-250 g) pressed dry (curd) cottage cheese
- 2/3 cup (150 g) melted butter
- 1/2 cup (100 g) confectioner (icing) sugar
- 1 cup fresh strawberries clean and cut
Instructions
FOR THE DOUGH
- In a large bowl of standing mixer, sift all-purpose flour and make a small nest with your hand to place crumbled fresh yeast. Add sugar and half of the lukewarm milk. (If you are using dry yeast, place the yeast in a cup, add lukewarm milk and sugar, stir with a spoon & let rise for 10 minutes. Add it to the all-purpose flour and continue the recipe below). Within ten minutes the yeast should start to activate and become bubbly.
- Add the remaining milk, eggs and salt and with hook attachment, knead until the dough is no more sticky. Allow the dough to rise for one hour, in warm place (cover the bowl with clean cloth).
- Dump the dough on a flat surface, sprinkled with flour. Roll the dough 1/2 inch thick and cut out 3-inch large pieces with cookie cutter. You should be able to cut out at least 20 pieces.
- Clean and cut strawberries on small pieces, place them in a medium bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Stir well. Put one tablespoon of strawberry mix on each cut out dumpling dough and close the dough by tucking it inside and shaping a ball. Once all the dumplings are shaped, cover them with clean cloth and let them rise for another 20 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, prepare large sauce pot 10-inch, with water and secure cheesecloth on the edges of the pot. Tighten up well the cheesecloth on the handles of the sauce pot. You can also use stainless steel steamer, but make sure to either place clean cloth over it or brush it lightly with vegetable oil or melted butter, to prevent sticking. Bring the water to boil and add 1 tsp of salt.
- Place the dumplings on the cheesecloth (or in the steamer), cover with a lid and steam for 8 minutes. After steaming, poke each dumpling with a fork, so the steam can escape and the dumplings remain fluffy.
- Place the dumplings in large kitchen bowl and cover with plastic food wrap, so they stay warm.
FOR THE TOPPINGS
- Place 4-5 dumplings on a plate, crumble the dry cottage cheese on the top of the dumplings, pour over melted butter, add fresh strawberries and sift all over confectioner sugar. It is a heaven! Enjoy!
Notes
- Always make a starter with the fresh or dry yeast. It makes the dough fluffier.
- When yeast is not good: If yeast starter doesn't bubble it means your dry or fresh yeast is too old, buy new one.
- Use warm milk, not hot. Hot milk will kill yeast and the dough won't prove.
- Depending on the season, in summer the dough can double in size within 30-40 minutes. In winter, it can take up to 1 hour and 30 minutes. The dough needs to be in warm, possibly sunny place to double in size.
- Steaming the dumplings: I have used cheesecloth method, which is the easiest one and you can fit in 10-inch sauce pot up to 10 dumplings. So in two batches you are done. If you use stainless steel basket or double boiler pot, make sure to brush it with oil or butter, to prevent sticking. You can also place clean cotton cloth on the steamer, to prevent sticking. Also keep in mind, if you use smaller sauce pot, place the amount of dumplings inside, according the size of your sauce pot. Dumplings double in size while steaming.