Steamed Fruit Dumplings – Recipe and Technique
This recipe is an ancient favorite of mine. It reminds me of my grandmother’s cooking days and my Sunday visits to her with my mom.
This recipe goes back to my great-grandmother who was of German descent, and most likely back to her mother and grandmother, which datewise would go back to the 1700s.
These Steamed Fruit Dumplings (referred to as Perizhky, by my grandma), are much simpler to cook now, than in my grandmother’s days. She used cheesecloth tied around a big pot of hot water, but you can use a steamer basket lined with a coffee filter.
You can use a variety of fruit fillings for these dumplings, such as shredded apples, plums, blueberries, cherries, etc.
My daughter bought me a jar of Tart Cherry Fruit Spread at Trader Joe’s and my family enjoyed this filling. I also found the dark sweet cherries at a local grocer. I drained them and cut them into smaller pieces, added a Tbs. of cornstarch, and had enough filling 1 tsp—each to fill 24 dumplings. My mom used to fill them mostly with shredded apples flavored with brown sugar and cinnamon, freshly picked blueberries, or any seasonal fruit from our orchard.
I love these fluffy dumplings (pampuchy, bukhty) because they are so light in texture and deliciously served with melted butter and sugar.
This recipe yields about 24 dumplings.
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A ball of dough, ready to rest.
The dough roll is about 1.5 inches in diameter and 15-18 inches in length.
Using a knife, cut the dough roll into 1.5-inch pieces.
Flatten slightly one piece at a time to form a dough circle ready for filling.
Filled balls are placed on a floured tea towel, ready to rest and rise in a warm place.
All risen and ready to steam.
The steamer is ready and filled with dumplings for steaming.
If you wish, you can also use a large pot covered with a double thickness of cheesecloth, fastened around the rim of the pot with twine, or a large rubber band. You need to make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the cheesecloth after the dumplings are placed on it. I would suggest not to fill the pot with water more than 1/3 full.
Steamed dumplings waiting to cool off.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- 1/4 oz Active Dry Yeast (1 package)
- 1 Tbs sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 Tbs lukewarm water
- 3/4 cup lukewarm milk, scalded
- 2 Tbs. butter, melted
- Fruit for filling (pitted canned plums, fresh chopped apples, dry prunes, fresh blueberries)
- Melted butter, sugar, cinnamon - for serving suggestions
Instructions
- Dissolve the sugar in the lukewarm water.
- Sprinkle the yeast over the sugar water.
- Let it stand for 10 minutes, to dissolve and activate.
- Scald the milk, and cool to lukewarm.
- Combine the lukewarm milk with the yeast mixture.
- Add the beaten eggs and salt.
- Stir in the flour, and mix by hand or with a mixer with dough hooks, for 10-15 minutes to form a soft dough. Add the melted butter during the last 3 minutes of mixing.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place, until double in bulk for about an hour. (see TIP).
- Cut the dough in 2 equal parts. For easier handling you can cut it into 4 equal parts
- On a floured work area, roll one part at a time into a long dough roll, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter and 15-18 inches long, or 4 logs 6" long each, which will make 6 equal parts for dumplings.
- Using a knife, cut the dough roll into 1 1/2 inch pieces.
- Flatten slightly one piece at a time to form a dough circle ready to fill. Place filling in the middle of the circle and seal edges together.
- Form a ball, and place seam down on a cookie sheet lined with a floured tea towel.
- Space the dumpling balls apart, so they to not stick as they rise.
- Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
- Cover with another tea towel, keep in a warm place for at least 15 minutes so they rise again.
- Fill a steamer pot with water, at least 1 inch below the steamer basket, and bring to boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer, so the steam is not extremely hot. I prefer to use the cheesecloth tied over the top of the pot and the water to be as far from the cloth as possible. You don't more than 1/3 or 1/4 of the pot filled with water.
- Place a large coffee filter in the steamer basket.
- Starting with the first ones done, place 3-4 dumplings in the lined steamer basket, do not overcrowd them.
- Cover the pot with a well fitted lid, and continue steaming for exactly 5 minutes without lifting the lid.
- Uncover.
- Gently remove dumplings, one at a time, onto a wire rack and brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar. Let them cool off.
- Repeat this process until all dumplings are steamed.
- These may be served warm or at room temperature. Cold dumplings may be warmed up in the microwave for no more that 10 seconds one at a time. Excessive heating will harden them and make them rubbery.
Notes
To speed up the process of rising dough, I cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a tea towel, and keep it in a previously warmed oven to 100 degrees F, then turned off.
You may do the same with the filled dumplings waiting to rise again, if your room temperature is too cool.
To prevent your dumplings from falling after removing the cover at the end of cooking, you need to prevent the following: Do not let them rise too long, so they don't develop a dry thin skin. Do not fill the pot with too much water, just about 1/3 - 1/4 full. Do not have the water boil vigorously, but rather simmer during cooking. Do not cook filled dumplings longer than 5 minutes, and plains ones no more that 10 minutes.
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