Canederli allo speck
South Tyrol's bread dumplings: stale bread, milk, egg, speck and chives rolled into balls, simmered and served with melted butter and Grana.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 hr 20 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Canederli are the bread dumplings of Trentino and South Tyrol, where German speakers call them Knödel. They begin with stale white bread cut into small cubes, soaked in milk and beaten egg, and mixed with diced speck fried with a little onion, plus parsley, chives and a spoon or two of flour. The mixture rests for half an hour so the bread softens evenly, then wet hands press it into firm balls the size of a small orange. They simmer gently in salted water or broth; a hard boil breaks them apart. Cook one test dumpling first and add a little flour if it falls apart. Served 'asciutti', dry, they go on the plate with melted butter, grated Grana and more chives. Done is a firm yet fluffy dumpling, studded with smoky speck, under golden butter.
What you'll need
11 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Stale bread, white, a few days old, in 1 cm cubes300 g
- Milk200 ml
- Egg3
- Speck, in small dice150 g
- Onion, finely chopped½ small
- Wheat flour, plain, plus more if needed30 ml
- Chives, finely chopped1 bunch
- Parsley, chopped15 ml
- Butter, 20 g for frying, the rest to serve100 g
- Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, grated40 g
- Salt4.9 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Fry the onion in 20 g butter until soft, add the speck and cook 2 minutes more. Leave to cool.
7 min
Step 2
Put the bread in a bowl with the speck and onion, parsley and half the chives. Beat the eggs with the milk and a pinch of salt, pour over and mix with your hands. Sprinkle in the flour, mix again and rest 30 minutes.
5 min
Step 3
With wet hands, press the mixture into 8 firm balls. Lower them into barely simmering salted water and cook 15 minutes, uncovered.
18 min
Tip: Cook a test dumpling first. If it breaks up, work a little more flour into the mixture.
Step 4
Melt the remaining butter until foaming and just golden. Lift the canederli out with a slotted spoon, pour the butter over and finish with Grana and the rest of the chives.
3 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 723 kcal
- Protein
- 29.3 g
- Carbs
- 65.7 g
- Fat
- 37.4 g
- Saturated fat
- 19.9 g
- Fibre
- 2.4 g
- Sugar
- 4.1 g
- Sodium
- 1463 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Eggs
- Milk
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 November.
Substitutions
Speck → Smoked pancetta
The closest match for smoke and fat; dice it small.
Tips
- Use plain white bread with a firm crumb; soft sandwich bread turns to paste.
- For canederli in brodo, simmer them in salted water, then serve them in clear hot beef broth.
History & culture
Every mountain hut and farmhouse inn in the Dolomites serves them: in clear beef broth when it is cold, or dry with butter and a cabbage salad. Speck is the classic, but there are cheese, spinach and liver versions too. In a kitchen that makes canederli, no bread is ever thrown away.
Bread dumplings are made right across the eastern Alps, from Bavaria and Austria to the Dolomites. A fresco painted around 1200 in the chapel of Castel d'Appiano, near Bolzano, shows a woman eating one, and is often called the oldest picture of a Knödel. They belong to a region where bread was baked only a few times a year and had to last.
Traditional — Stale white bread, milk, egg, speck, onion and chives, served dry with butter and Grana.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Canederli allo speck take?
1 hr 20 min all in — 25 min prep, 25 min cook, 30 min rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Eggs, Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Nut-free.
6 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Saucepan, Frying pan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Speck → Smoked pancetta. The closest match for smoke and fat; dice it small.
Any tips from this recipe?
Use plain white bread with a firm crumb; soft sandwich bread turns to paste. For canederli in brodo, simmer them in salted water, then serve them in clear hot beef broth.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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