These easy sourdough dumplings are simple to make and packed with flavor. Made with sourdough discard, minced parsley, and sea salt, these soft, pillowy dumplings will elevate your favorite vegetable or chicken soup.
After an unusually warm start to January here at the farmhouse, we finally have some snow in the forecast this week.
And I can’t think of anything better to make for dinner on a snowy evening than chicken soup made with bone broth and homemade dumplings.
It is the ultimate comfort food!
Made with sourdough discard, you can whip up this sourdough dumplings recipe quickly for a hearty meal the whole family will enjoy.
What are sourdough dumplings?
If you’ve never had classic chicken and dumplings, you are missing out!
Dumplings are made with a simple dough, formed into balls, and dropped into a simmering soup of your choice to be steamed to perfection.
Along with adding flavor and texture to your soup, the starches in the dumplings create a thicker, richer broth.
Why you will love this recipe:
Hearty and filling: No one should walk away hungry from your dinner table after serving dumplings and soup.
Comforting: Adding sourdough dumplings to your soup makes for a comforting meal that will warm you during the cooler months of the year.
Easy and quick: Since this is a discard recipe, you can use it right out of the fridge. Once you mix the dough up, it is ready to be added to the soup!
Sourdough Dumplings Making Tips:
- If you have extra active sourdough starter after making your bread, use it for these dumplings! Otherwise, you can use discard straight from the fridge.
- Make sure your soup is simmering – not boiling – when you add in your dumpling dough. Otherwise, you may end up with soggy dumplings.
- Cover your soup with a lid after adding your dumpling dough. The steam helps to cook them to perfection!
- You can mix the dough up and then leave it out for several hours to long ferment. After this, place the dough in the fridge for a few hours so they are easier to shape.
- Double check they are done by inserting a toothpick to see if it comes out clean or take one out and cut it open. You want to make sure it has more of a bread consistency rather than a doughy texture.
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Dumpling Ingredients:
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Salt – I always chose sea salt.
Butter – Use cold butter cut into tablespoon-sized chunks
Sourdough discard – Use your discard straight from the fridge! You can also use active and bubbly starter if you have some leftover after making bread.
Egg
Minced parsley – This is our favorite herb to use! Feel free to experiment with others such as thyme or basil.
Tools you may need:
Large soup pot or dutch oven
Large bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Knife
Mixing spoon
FAQ:
How do you serve sourdough dumplings?
Dumplings are made by steaming in a simmering pot of soup. There are a number of recipes you can use for a soup that will be good with sourdough dumplings. We like to use chicken and your basic soup vegetables, like carrots and celery stalks in our dumpling soup.
You could also replace the gnocchi in my creamy chicken and gnocchi soup with dumplings instead!
If you are adding chicken, what kind of chicken is the best?
This is all personal preference. Sometimes I’ll bake a whole chicken and use the leftover cooked chicken meat in soup the next day. If I don’t have any cooked chicken on hand, I love to use skinless chicken thighs because they are usually more tender.
How do you know when the dumplings are cooked through?
Your dumplings will simmer, covered for about 15 minutes. The dumplings should start to float and will gradually get bigger, until almost double in size.
To check for doneness, take out one of the dumplings and cut it open to make sure the inside is cooked all the way through and no longer doughy.
Can you freeze sourdough dumplings?
Yes! Simply form your dough into balls and add to a baking sheet. Freeze them just until they’ve hardened enough to be easier to work with. Take them out of the freezer, wrap each dough ball individually in plastic wrap and add to a freezer bag or airtight container. Place in the freezer for up to three months.
Thaw out your dumplings for a few minutes before adding to your soup to cook.
How To Make Sourdough Dumplings
These sourdough dumplings are so easy to make! Plus, you can use your discard straight from the fridge.
Whip this up for a quick, hearty winter meal!
Mix your dry ingredients
Combine flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Divide your cold butter into tablespoons and cut it into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or fork.
Add your sourdough discard
Incorporate your sourdough starter, the egg, and minced parsley.
You can use sourdough discard pulled straight from the fridge or an active and bubbly starter, if you made a little too much for your bread dough.
Shape your dough
Once your dough comes together, scoop about 1 tablespoon of dumpling dough out and form into a ball. Continue until you’ve made all your balls. You can get about 25 dumplings from this recipe.
Drop dumpling dough into your soup
Drop each ball into a large pot of simmering soup one at a time, making sure they do not start sticking together. The dumplings should be the last thing you add to your soup.
Cover your soup pot and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes. The dumplings will begin to float to the top and expand.
Double check if your dumplings are done by inserting a toothpick and making sure it comes out clean or cutting one open. If it still feels doughy inside, it isn’t quite done.
How To Make Long Fermented Sourdough Dumplings:
If you’d like to long ferment your dumpling dough, simply leave the mixed up dough out for several hours.
After this, place your dough in the fridge for a few hours to make it easier to shape into balls.
Find more Of My Favorite Sourdough Recipes:
- Sourdough bread bowls
- Rosemary Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Discard Crackers
- The Easiest Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust
- Easy Homemade Sourdough Pasta
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars!
Sourdough Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup butter, cut into chunks
- 1 cup sourdough discard
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley
Instructions
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- Divide your cold butter into tablespoons and cut it into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or fork.
- Incorporate the sourdough starter, egg, and minced parsley.
- Once your dough comes together, scoop about 1 tablespoon of dumpling dough out and form into a ball. Continue until you’ve made all your balls, about 25.
- Drop each ball into a large pot of simmering soup one at a time, making sure they do not start sticking together.
- Cover your soup pot and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes. The dumplings will begin to float to the top and expand.
Notes
- The dumplings should be the last thing you add to your soup.
- If you have extra active sourdough starter after making your bread, use it for these dumplings! Otherwise, you can use discard straight from the fridge.
- Make sure your soup is simmering – not boiling – when you add in your dumpling dough. Otherwise, you may end up with soggy dumplings.
- Cover your soup with a lid after adding your dumpling dough. The steam helps to cook them to perfection!
- You can mix the dough up and then leave it out for several hours to long ferment. After this, place the dough in the fridge for a few hours so they are easier to shape.
- Make dumpling dough and freeze for future use. Simply form your dough into balls and add to a baking sheet. Freeze them just until they’ve hardened enough to be easier to work with. Take them out of the freezer, wrap each dough ball individually in plastic wrap and add to a freezer bag or airtight container. Place in the freezer for up to three months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What soup recipe do you use?
Absolutely perfect dumplings. I had run out of AP flour, so I used King Arthur’s Pastry flour – worked great! I used active/bubbly starter. Will most definitely use this recipe from now on.
Glad the recipe worked so well!
If I were to make these ahead of time and freeze them, how long should I cook them for and should I let them thaw first?
Let them thaw first and then cook them for the normal time.
I am trying chicken and dumplings in my slow cooker, and want to use sourdough dumplings. Should i adjust cook time for the slow cooker or will the 15 minutes be enough time?
I would think they would need longer in the slow cooker. Haven’t tried it though.
I just read another bloggers slow cooker recipe and she said to cook dumplings for 60-90 minutes. I think she meant on low.
These were wonderful! I subbed a gluten-free flour blend (I use Annalise Roberts’ bread flour A blend recipe) and a sorghum starter. I only used 1/2 cup of starter and added an extra 1/2 cup gf flour so it would not throw off the flour blend too much and make them taste like solid sorghum. I also used coconut oil instead of butter since I’m allergic to dairy. So tasty!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! And love the substitutions! Thank you for sharing!
I made these today and they tasted terrific. I’m not real happy about the texture though. The inside is bready but the outside is slimy mush but still intact. I tried kneading some dough and then refrigerated it before adding to some simmering broth. No difference. Any suggestions?
I would say maybe your broth was a bit too hot. I’d try turning the stove down if possible. Also, the dumplings may have been a bit large.
I had the same problem, even though I was simmering my broth for awhile before adding them in. After the recommended 15 minutes, I poured the soup over the top of the dumplings and put the lid back on, simmering it for 10 more minutes. They were cooked perfectly.
Can these be made with fresh milled einkorn? Would I then sift it a few times?
Thank you!
If I was going to long ferment this, would I wait to add in the baking powder until right before cooking?
I didn’t and they puffed up still! I think it would be too hard to mix it in well once it’s been fermenting for a long time. Delicious!!
I tried to make this but the egg is in the ingredients section but not in the directions section. I’m just gonna guess and put it in with the starter….
I just ran into the same problem, and that was my guess too. Hopefully they turn out!
It’s under step #3
Hi Lisa, I was wondering if you had any suggestions on how to mail sourdough starter? My son and daughter-in-law in Minnesota would like some of my starter but I live in Texas. Is there anyway to do this?
She has directions for drying your starter so it can be stored and rehydrated. That seems like the easiest way to me.
Hi Monique, you can dehydrate your sourdough starter and ship it to them. Or you can ship your regular sourdough, but it needs to be overnighted and have your family feed it as soon as they get it!