Canederli (South Tyrolean Bread Dumplings)

Name: Canederli (South Tyrolean Bread Dumplings)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 150 g of Stale Bread; 40 g of White Onions; 30 g of Butter; 80 g of Speck; 2 Eggs; 40 g of All Purpose Flour; 100 ml of Milk; 1 tablespoon of Parsley; Salt

Canederli are bread dumplings from South Tyrol, made with stale bread and speck and served in broth or with butter and sage.

Recipe Canederli (South Tyrolean Bread Dumplings)

Difficulty Medium
Preparation 45 minutes
Cooking 20 minutes
Servings for 4 people

Canederli are a classic dish from South Tyrol, the Alto Adige area of northern Italy. Often also called Knödel, Canederli are a very hearty dish, which makes them best suited to the winter season.

Canederli are made with Stale Bread and Speck (a smoked cured ham) and are served in two ways: Canederli in Broth or Canederli Served Dry with Butter and Sage. That’s why Canederli are the ideal dish to make when you have lots of leftover bread, especially after the holidays.

On your next trip to Trentino, along with Speck Canederli you’re sure to find Spätzle and Spinach Spätzle, other typical dishes of the area. But now let’s discover the Original Canederli Recipe together and learn how to cook them.

Ingredients for 4 people

150 g of Stale Bread
40 g of White Onions
30 g of Butter
80 g of Speck diced
2 Eggs
40 g of All Purpose Flour
100 ml of Milk
1 tablespoon of Parsley chopped
Salt to taste

Copy Ingredients List

Open in App

Method

To make the Canederli, start by chopping the onion and cooking it in a skillet with some butter. Meanwhile, cut the bread into small cubes. Put the onion and bread in a medium bowl and mix until well combined. Now add the flour and speck as well and mix again.
In another bowl, mix the eggs, milk, parsley and salt. When the mixture is smooth, pour it into the bowl with the bread and mix well. Let the mixture rest for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the meat broth or a vegetable broth.
Using a spoon or a ladle, shape the mixture into compact dumplings, then cook them for 20 minutes in a pot of plenty of salted water, half covered with a lid.
Add the Canederli to the broth, then serve immediately. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

If you’re not a fan of dishes in broth, you can also dress the Canederli with Melted Butter and Sage.

Tips

To make sure the Canederli don’t fall apart while cooking, I recommend cooking just one first as a test. If it falls apart, you can add some flour to the mixture and try again.

Storage

Canederli keep for a couple of days in the fridge in an airtight container. If you like, you can freeze the Canederli before cooking them.