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All About Dumplings Essentially dumplings are biscuits that are cooked in a boiling liquid instead of the oven. They aren't a mysterious delicacy that only grandmothers are capable of producing. They are actually a hearty quick bread that can turn even the most plebeian soup or stew into a satisfying meal. Any biscuit recipe and most muffin recipes can be turned into dumplings. General instructions follow . . . Prepare biscuits or muffins or extra thick pancake batter according to your usual method. The biscuits can be rolled biscuits or drop-biscuits. Any normally thick muffin batter from plain to bran, to oatmeal, to cornmeal or what-have-you, will work just fine. Another option is to make pancakes from complete pancake mix, but make the batter extra thick, almost a dough, like for drop-biscuits. Next simmer a soup or stew or a quart of bouillon or broth or even water. If your soup or stew is particularly thick then thin it out some by adding more water. Dumplings make soup thicker. When the soup or broth is simmering gently, not too fast, but in a lazy sort of way, drop in the batter by small spoonfuls. When you've scraped the bowl clean of batter place the lid on your cooking pot. Simmer the dumplings for at least 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow to sit for 5 full minutes. The dumplings will be puffy, risen, fluffy as clouds and offering an aroma fit for royalty. Many people drop dumplings onto canned soups, stews or chili. With chili, corn muffin batter is especially nice. If you're making dumplings from a sweet muffin batter you may want to use sugar-water (1/2-cup sugar to 4-cups water) or fruit juice to cook the dumplings. My basic recipe for dumplings follows. It's just a starting point though, feel free to experiment with your own ideas and combinations.
In a medium bowl combine all of the dry ingredients—flour, dry milk, egg, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix with a whisk until everything is evenly distributed. Add the oil and water. Mix until you have a very thick batter, almost a dough. Drop the dumplings into the simmering liquid of your choice. Cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes and then serve.
Basic
Cornmeal Dumplings
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