Here’s a Traditional Hungarian Plum Dumplings (Szilvás Gombóc) 🇭🇺 recipe — a beloved old-fashioned dessert made with soft potato dough and juicy plums rolled in buttery, sweet breadcrumbs.
🍑 Traditional Plum Dumplings Recipe (Szilvás Gombóc)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb (450 g) potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- Pinch of salt
- 10–12 small plums (or halved large ones, pits removed)
- 10–12 tsp sugar (white or brown, for filling)
- 1 cup (100 g) breadcrumbs
- 4 tbsp butter (for toasting breadcrumbs)
- Powdered sugar & cinnamon (optional, for serving)
Instructions:
- Cook the potatoes
Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain well and mash or rice them until smooth. Let cool completely. - Prepare the dough
Add the flour, melted butter, egg, and a pinch of salt to the cooled mashed potatoes. Mix and knead gently until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
Tip: Add a bit more flour if too sticky, but don’t overwork—it should stay tender. - Prepare the plums
Wash and dry the plums. Remove pits and place about 1 teaspoon of sugar in the center of each (you can add a pinch of cinnamon too). - Form the dumplings
Roll the dough on a floured surface to about ¼ inch (½ cm) thick. Cut into squares big enough to wrap around each plum.
Place a plum in the center of each square, wrap the dough around it, and seal well. - Cook the dumplings
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a gentle boil.
Drop in the dumplings and cook until they float to the top, plus about 2–3 more minutes. - Toast the breadcrumbs
While the dumplings cook, melt 4 tbsp butter in a skillet. Add breadcrumbs and toast over medium heat until golden brown. - Coat the dumplings
Remove dumplings with a slotted spoon, drain briefly, and roll them in the buttery breadcrumbs to coat evenly. - Serve warm
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and a little cinnamon, if desired.
💡 Tips:
- You can replace plums with apricots or prune jam for variety.
- Best enjoyed warm, but also delicious the next day lightly reheated in butter.
- Some Hungarians add a little semolina to the dough for extra structure.
Would you like me to give you the Hungarian grandmother-style version — the way they made it decades ago with browned butter and rum-sugar plums? 🇭🇺
