Old Country Dumplings (German Bullets) - 2 Ways

Warning - this is a real comfort food! My Grandma told me that her German Mother used to make these and not for comfort - it was making a meal out of things they had on hand. If they didn't have any eggs, they used more water. No bacon? They made it without! When I was younger, my family would get together and make up a huge batch of these and we always had soup as well as fried dumplings. I just loved watching my Mom, Aunts and Grandma chop everything and fry up the bacon and onions. They would get kitchen shears and cut the dumplings right into the splashing boiling water and it never seemed to bother them! I am not as tough as they are so I have made this recipe into my own and I don't get burned! :) I make this for my kids now and they love them! If you like things made from dough, you should love these! It's not that hard to make, it's about multitasking. I'm not sure where the name originally came from, but they have always been German bullets! Enjoy!

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 4  cups flour
• 4  eggs
• 1  cup water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  lb bacon, sliced
• 1  large onion, chopped
• 1  large potato, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2  cups milk
• 2  eggs, beaten
•  salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, eggs and water with your hands. Knead the dough in the bowl until it is one large ball of dough. It shouldn't be too dry and just a tiny bit sticky. If you find it's too dry or too wet, add a very small amount of water or flour until you get the right consistency. Set bowl aside.
2. Add bacon and onion to large frying pan. Stir frequently over medium heat until bacon is cooked and onion is slightly browned. When done, place bacon and onions on paper towls on a plate. Do NOT wipe out the pan - you need the fat for frying. Return half the bacon mixture to the pan.
3. With kitchen shears, cut dough into 4 or 5 large pieces. Between your palms, flatten dough into a large flat circle, about 1 inch thick. Cut pieces of dough into similar, bite sized pieces onto a tea towel. It's OK if they dry for a few minutes.
4. Meanwhile, bring salted water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add potatoes, cook for 10 minutes, until just tender. Remove potatoes and set aside.
5. Add dumplings to boiling water. You can do this by dropping them in a few at a time or fill up a spatula with dumplings and add to water. Make sure to stir them up in case some are sticking together. When they float, they are done, only a few minutes. Strain some of the dumplings into a colander, keeping half of them in the pot. *** Make sure you keep enough cooking water in the pot to cover about 3/4 of the soup dumplings.
6. Ensure that half of the dumplings are in the soup and half in the pan with the bacon and onions. Add the potatoes to the soup and the bacon and onion mixture that you set aside. Add milk and bring to a boil. When it reaches a boil, you can turn it down to low. Salt and pepper to taste.
7. While waiting for the soup to boil, fry the dumplings in the pan with the bacon and onion. Add eggs and stir to coat the dumplings. Let egg cook through. Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Your 2 versions of dumplings are now ready! I usually have the soup first and then the fried ones second, in the same bowl. Some people like to get the soup and put the fried ones on top. Any way you like it - there are no rules!
9. It is a good idea to leave out salt and pepper so everyone can add it to their taste.