Slovakian Steamed Dumplings with Jam

The holidays are soon approaching! A few weeks ago Joe and I drove south to a dusty, side of the road Christmas tree lot and brought home this dear Fraser Fir. Every time I step threw the front door of the apartment, this tree cheerfully greets me with a pine-scented handshake... 

Trying to squeeze into a self-timed photo equals
awkward posing... !

Its branches are now adorned with strings of white lights that I can't help but turn on every time I'm home. There is something exceedingly calming about the sight of an incandescent evergreen. This glowing symbol of joyful celebrations to come is also a constant reminder to get into the kitchen and bake!  My most recent creation was a special Slovakian treat:  

Steamed Dumplings with Jam!

These sweet yeast dough balls are steamed, not baked, which keeps their exterior pale.  A light brushing with butter plus a sprinkling of ground poppy seeds and powdered sugar allows for a freckled, golden completion. Bite into one and experience a burst of warm jam enveloped in soft bread.  I made these one evening when Joe was working a late shift and stayed up until 1:00 AM to share with him a tall glass of milk and a taste of my first batch of steamed dumplings as a late night snack. He was so happy for a taste of home and I was so happy for his appreciation. 

Here's how it went...

The first step is to make a nice yeasty dough. It is just like any regular yeast dough, except it has a bit more sugar in it to give it a slightly saccharin taste.

My sweet dough has risen!
I was creating a "warm environment" by slightly heating
some water in a cooking pot and placing my dough
bowl on top to receive the warm vapor. 

Before getting your hands dirty, prepare the steaming bed. This process is the same as for the Slovakian Steamed Bread Dumplings, except this time I used kitchen string (leftover from Thanksgiving), to secure the tea towel to the cooking pot. Basically, fill a large cooking pot halfway with water, then cover with the towel, and locate another large pot that will balance upside down onto it as "the lid". 

Tie the towel tightly enough to get a flat, strong surface
for the dough balls to rest for cooking.  The pot seen in back
was the lid that covered this covered pot

Back to the dough. Roll it out into about 1/2 inch thickness. My one mistake was rolling it out too thin (I did about 1/4 inch thickness). Then make as many dough circles that you can, which will require you to take the leftover scraps and roll them out again until there is no dough left.  I used a pint glass to stamp my dough, but a round cookie cutter would also do!

Match your dough circles up with a mate and place a small spoonful of your favorite jam onto one of them.  The Slovakian recipe that I was following asked for thick plum jam, however, I used a homemade grape jam that was gifted to Joe by a friend. Frankly, I think any jam would be delicious! Try to avoid jelly, however, since its a bit runnier (and without remnants of real fruit, which I am partial too). 

Cover each jam piece with an empty one and secure the edges together using your fingers. Try to smooth out the edges more than what my pictures show here so that you don't get a rugged looking finished product! Finally, secure the edges once more by cutting the extra dough off the edges, and then let sit on a floured surface to let the dough rise a bit once again.

Once your dough balls look puffy and smooth, bring the water in your towel-covered pot to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to medium and place 3-4 dough balls on the flat towel surface. Cover with the second pot and set your timer to 12 minutes. Whatever you do, do not peek!  The steam must not escape.

Top with melted butter and ground poppy seeds (mixed with a bit of powdered sugar) and serve immediately! I like these dumplings best while warm.  Let extras cool completely before covering with plastic wrap. They keep well, unrefrigerated, for about four days.  

'Tis the season to be baking!  Fa la la la!

Steamed dumplings with grape jam and
poppyseed dusting.

Slovakian Steamed Dumplings with Jam

Adapted from "Slovak Cuisine" cookbook

Makes about 1 dozen large

Leaven:

50 ml milk, warm

2 Tbsp. yeast

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Dumplings:

4 cups (500 g) flour

1 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Pinch of salt

2 egg yolks

150 ml milk

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Jam (plum recommended), for filling

Toppings:

Butter, melted

Poppy seeds, ground

Powdered sugar 

-or-

Ground walnuts 

Powdered sugar

Combine all of the ingredients under "leaven" to make prepare the yeast. Set aside for about 5 minutes to check to make sure that the yeast is alive (foam should form).  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together  the salt, sugar, yolks, lukewarm milk and butter. Then mix in the leaven, and finally begin adding the flour until a soft dough is formed. Knead for 3 minutes and then flip into a slightly greased bowl, cover in a warm place and allow to rise about 1 hour (or until dough has doubled in size). Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out rounds using a cookie cutter or pint glass rim. Place about 1/2 Tbsp. of the firm jam on half of the rounds, cover them with the empty ones. Seal the edges together using finger tips, then cut again with the cutter to remove extra dough. Allow to rise again, about 30-45 minutes. Fill half of a bigger pot with water, tie a tea cloth onto the top to cover securely (see picture above). When water starts to boil, place dumplings on the cotton cloth, cover with a pot that fits the pot filled with water. Steam dumplings for about 12 minutes in small batches as not to overcrowd the dumplings. Transfer the steamed dumplings to a serving dish, brush the tops with melted butter, followed by a sprinkling with the ground poppy seeds mixed with powdered sugar. Best when warm! Enjoy!