Houskové knedlíky
Contains egg (no meat or fish)
Light, sliceable Czech yeasted dumplings studded with cubes of bread, boiled as a log and cut into rounds to mop up gravy. The essential side for svíčková and roast pork.
Houskové knedlíky is a Czech dumpling dish from Czechia, ready in about 1 hour 40 minutes and made with all-purpose flour and white bread. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Rest
- 1 h
- Total
- 1 h 40 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 390
Method
Step 1
Dissolve the yeast and sugar (opens in a new tab) in the lukewarm milk (opens in a new tab). Mix with the flour, egg (opens in a new tab) and salt and knead to a smooth, fairly firm dough.
- 10 min
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 2
Knead in the bread cubes, cover and leave to rise until doubled.
- 3 min
Step 3
Divide in two and shape each half into a log about 6 cm thick. Rest for 10 minutes.
- 5 min
Step 4
Lower the logs into a wide pot of salted boiling water and simmer, turning once halfway, until cooked through.
- 20 min
- medium heat
- Stockpot / large pot (opens in a new tab)
A skewer pushed into the centre should come out clean.
Step 5
Lift out, prick all over with a skewer to let the trapped vapour escape, and slice into 1.5 cm rounds — traditionally with a taut thread rather than a knife.
- 3 min
About this dish
- Origin
- Czechia · Well documentedAlso popular in SlovakiaMore food from Czechia
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Dumplings · Side dishes · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Boiled
- Taste
- mild
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat - Good for
- Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead
- Cook more with
- All-purpose flour · White bread · Dried yeast · Sugar · Milk · Egg
- Techniques
- Boiling · Simmering · Kneading · Fermentation
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom milk, white bread
- Contains: Eggsfrom egg, white bread
- Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, white bread
- Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, white bread
- May contain: Soyfrom white bread
- May contain: Sesamefrom white bread
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
390 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 161 g · recipe makes 6
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 14%
- Carbohydrate 77%
- Fat 9%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 390 kcal | 243 kcal |
| Protein | 13 g | 8.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 74.2 g | 46.2 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 71.3 g | 44.4 g |
| Sugars | 4.3 g | 2.7 g |
| Added sugars | 0.7 g | 0.4 g |
| Fibre | 2.9 g | 1.8 g |
| Fat | 3.8 g | 2.4 g |
| Saturated fat | 1.5 g | 0.9 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 36 mg | 23 mg |
| Sodium | 688 mg | 428 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 1.7 g | 1.1 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 198 mg
- Calcium
- 96 mg
- Iron
- 4.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 28 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 37 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.8 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.3 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 300 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Common mistakes
- Not pricking the dumplings straight away traps steam and makes them stodgy.
Storage
- Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze slices.
Reheating
- Steam slices for a few minutes, or fry them with egg (knedlíky s vejci).
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- All-purpose flour500 g
- Milk, lukewarm300 ml · 309 g
- Egg1 piece · 50 g
- White bread, stale, cut into 1 cm cubes3 slice · 84 g
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 20 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
First rise (bulk) · about 50 min
About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.
Rest · about 10 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Bake · about 20 min
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
- Start to finish: about 1 h 40 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | Flour | 500 g | 100% |
| Milk | Other liquid | 309 g | 61.8% |
| Egg | Egg | 50 g | 10% |
| Salt | Salt | 9 g | 1.8% |
| Dried yeast | Yeast | 7 g | 1.4% |
| Sugar | Sugar | 4 g | 0.8% |
- Total flour
- 500 g
- Hydration
- —
- With milk, eggs…
- 61.3%
- Wholegrain
- 0%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Salt 1.8% — normal for bread.
If something goes wrong
Dense, heavy loaf
Likely causes
- Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
- Under-proofed
- Old or dead yeast/starter
- Too much wholegrain flour without extra water
What to do
- Knead to the windowpane stage
- Proof by the poke test, not the clock
- Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
- Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Spreads flat / no oven spring
Likely causes
- Over-proofed
- Weak shaping (no surface tension)
- Oven not hot enough
- Too much water for the flour
What to do
- Shorten the proof; bake when the poke springs back slowly
- Shape tightly so the skin is taut
- Preheat fully (30+ minutes; with a stone or Dutch oven, 45)
- Lower hydration or use bread flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Crust too hard or thick
Likely causes
- Baked too long at too low a temperature
- No steam at the start
What to do
- Bake hotter for a shorter time
- Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
- Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dough didn't rise
Likely causes
- Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
- Kitchen too cold
- Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
- Starter not active
What to do
- Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
- Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
- Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
- Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
Over-proofed (sour smell, collapses when scored)
Likely causes
- Too warm
- Too much yeast
- Left too long
What to do
- Knock back, reshape and proof again briefly (yeast doughs)
- Use less yeast or a cooler proof
- Set a timer and check early with the poke test
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source
Reviews & corrections
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