Dumplings from Scratch

As a teen I recall nearly every time I would visit my mom (I lived with my dad), she would prepare meat and dumplings.  She would let me "lick the bowl," which I still do (sometimes I even share with the children).  I learned then that you cannot peek and lift the lid while you are cooking dumplings...or they won't be nearly as good.  This is my mom's dumpling recipe.  It makes dumplings that are tasty, and similar to a biscuit.  Instead of being slimy wet and gooey, they are fluffy and delicious, though moist on the outside.  

(I once ordered chicken and dumplings at Cracker Barrel.  Once.  I did not like those...they were wet and gooey.  This recipe makes dumplings that are fluffy like a biscuit!  The insides are dry.)

Dumplings
1 cup flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2-1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup milk

Sift or stir dry ingredients together.  SLOWLY add milk, stirring as you add it.  

Bring stew or soup* to boil in a large pot and then reduce to medium heat.  Drop heaping tablespoons of dumpling dough on top of stew, spacing as needed.  The dumplings will eventually come to the top.

Cover pan (don't open steam vent).  Cook covered for 10 minutes without opening the cover.  Remove cover and cook for 10 more minutes.

Tips:
~ I would suggest your pot being only 1/3 (to half) full of stew.  With the lid on the pot, it can boil over.  I use my large pot for about 2 inches of stew.
~ I actually double the recipe for the five of us.  We like dumplings...more than the stew.
~ Use a slotted spoon to serve if it is to be served not as a soup/stew, but more meat and dumplings.
~ If you prefer to use Jiffy or Biscuit mix, this tastes similar, but it is important for this texture to cook covered for ten minutes FIRST.  (Unlike their directions...at least Bisquick's.)

* I do not actually use stew or soup.  I make a creamy gravy with leftover chicken pieces and use that as my stew.  (Keep in mind that the dumpling dough will thicken the texture of your stew.)  Sometimes I add vegetables to it, but typically I cook them on the side so that we can focus on the meat and dumplings (and not the gravy).


~ Annette {This Simple Mom}

4 comments

  1. Annette! Thank you so much for posting this! My Granny passed away and she used to make the best big thick dumplings that I have ever had! Your recipe reminds me of that, my family is going to be so excited! Thank you! Is it ok to leave the sugar out or is that important?
    -Darby

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    1. Darby, your message made me smile! There is so little sugar in it, that I do think you might be successful leaving the sugar out of it. I hope they are like your granny's!!

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    2. Annette! Thank you for your speedly reply! I talked to my mom and sister last night and they both were tickled! I need your help, do you have a recipe for Chicken and Dumplings from start to finish? All I remember is that my Granny boiled a whole chicken, then deboned it, shredded it and then from there...I have no idea. You mentioned you make a creamy gravy (which sounds marvelous, how do you go about that? Thank you so much for your help and patience, i just found my love for cooking so I'm still learning :) Thank you agian for posting this recipe! -Darby

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    3. Okay, Darby. I don't have a recipe, but I will try to explain how I do the chicken and gravy , though you really don't have to do it with the dumplings. This is how I do it for biscuits and waffles. Yes. Chicken and waffles are yummy!

      Mine is KIND OF like regular gravy loaded with shredded chicken...but creamier and not as fatty and less chicken flavored.

      Yes. You can roast or boil the chicken. (Save drippings/water/broth.) Debone. Shred. (I also even just pull roasted chicken pieces from the freezer and use canned/frozen chicken broth.) Then I just make a creamy sauce. A couple tablespoons butter in the big pot. Melt it. Add salt,pepper, and a couple tablespoons flour. Stir until well blended...then whisk in some of the water from boiling the chicken, pan juices, or even chicken broth from a can if needed. Then I add some milk to make it creamy...but not too much. *The flour in the dumplings also adds quite a bit of creaminess.* (Even if you don't start with the butter/flour mixture, the liquid will still be a bit creamy. In the photo in this post, I just had a mixture of broth and water.) Add cut or shredded chicken...and the dumplings. And cook as directed. :)

      The first time you try it you could even try it without making the white sauce first...I find it's hard to have any thickening to the liquids since the pot has to be covered for ten minutes with the dumplings.

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