Knedlíky (Czech Bread Dumplings)

I made Chef John's Bohemian Orange Chicken the other night, but it turned out way too salty for my tastes. To help cut the salt, I made the recommended bread dumplings to accompany it.  His recipe makes two loaves; I reduced that by half to make just one.  I also cut the salt way back, just for this particular preparation, since the meal didn't need any additional salt. (Although I think even under ordinary circumstances I probably wouldn't use all the salt called for in the recipe unless the main dish was particularly bland. You can always add salt to your plate.)

Here's what I used:

1/2 cup warm milk
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1½ teaspoon white sugar
1³/₈ 7/8 cup quick-mixing flour (such as Wondra®) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 ³/₁₆ teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 large egg, beaten

Proof the yeast in the warm milk with the sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, corn meal, and salt. Add the yeast mixture and egg to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and forms a dough, adding more flour if needed. Knead on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and slightly elastic, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, flipping the dough to coat the top in oil. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Transfer back to your work surface; press out the excess air and form dough into a relatively uniform ball, then roll into a log about 2 to 2½ inches wide. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let proof for 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a steady simmer. Carefully pick up the risen dough and transfer to the simmering water; bring back to a simmer. Cover tightly and let simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover, flip, and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and poke all over with a toothpick or wooden skewer, which releases the steam from the center. Use a piece of string or thread to cut into 3/4- to 1-inch dumplings. Transfer to a serving plate.

Chef John's Note:  You can substitute half all-purpose flour and half semolina flour for Wondra® if you can't find it.

These dumplings were indeed very absorbent and yet stayed firm, rather than getting soggy.  I wonder whether it's the egg that makes them like that, or the boiling? Chef John's note says you can use semolina, although I think in the video he calls out corn meal; probably either would work. I didn't really notice the corn meal when they were fresh, but after moistening day-old dumplings with water and heating gently in the microwave, they reminded me of spoon bread. One unpleasantness:  the loaf was a bit soggy in the area of the expansion crack. (The cracks are considered undesirable -- now I see why -- but I don't see how to avoid them unless the dough was completely risen before being placed in the hot water.) After finishing the chicken, I used the leftover dumplings semi-successfully as a hotdog bun. It was okay.

Conclusion:  Well, it's nothing to write home about.  It's basically a plain, white bread, even plainer than ordinary bread because of being boiled.  It does the job of providing a neutral base for the main dish, though it's way more filling than noodles or rice.

Recipe:  Czech Bread Dumplings (Knedlíky) via Food Wishes at allrecipes