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Norfolk Dumplings

A simple dumpling made from patent flour and water, boiled for 20 minutes.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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Norfolk Dumplings

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the dough

  1. Boil a saucepan of warm water.

  2. Place 1 pound of patent flour in a basin.

  3. Add enough cold water to form a smooth dough; it should not be too stiff.

  4. Shape the dough into round balls about the size of a large egg.

Cook and serve

  1. When the water is boiling, add the dumplings and boil for 20 minutes.

  2. Remove the dumplings from the saucepan and serve.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Patent flour
Forms the dough and gives the dumplings their bulk and body as they cook.
Water
Hydrates the flour so it forms a smooth, cohesive dough that holds its shape.

The step that matters

Add enough cold water to form a smooth dough. Too little water leaves a stiff dough that cooks up dense and dry, while too much makes it slack and likely to fall apart in the boiling water. Flour needs enough moisture to hydrate its starch and gluten into a dough with the right texture.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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