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Norfolk Dumplings

A simple dumpling made from patent flour and water, boiled until cooked.

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 make a smooth dough; it should not be too stiff.

  4. Form 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 provides the starch and gluten that give the dumplings their body.
Water
Hydrates the flour so it binds into a smooth, workable dough.

The step that matters

Keep the dough soft, not stiff. A stiff dough cooks up dense and heavy, because flour that is not fully hydrated develops less tender structure. Adding cold water gradually until smooth keeps the dumplings light.

“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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