Semmelknödel

Step 1

Cut the day-old bread into 1/4-inch cubes, like small dice, until you have about 1.5 cups total; use a serrated bread knife and cut straight down through the bread, rotating it as you go.

Step 2

Pour the milk into a small bowl, then add the bread cubes and stir gently with a fork until the bread absorbs the liquid and looks soft and saturated, about 2 minutes.

Step 3

Mince the parsley until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice — about the size of pencil-tip dots — and set aside in a small bowl.

Step 4

Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk with a fork until the yolks and whites are fully combined and uniform in color, about 20 seconds.

Step 5

Add the milk-soaked bread, minced parsley, and flour to the eggs, then stir gently with a wooden spoon until no dry flour streaks remain and the mixture looks like thick, chunky oatmeal.

Step 6

Add 0.5 teaspoon of salt and 0.25 teaspoon of black pepper to the mixture, then stir once more until evenly distributed.

Step 7

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes so the mixture firms up and becomes easier to handle.

Step 8

Fill a large pot three-quarters full with water, add 1 teaspoon of salt, and bring to a boil over high heat — you'll see large rolling bubbles covering the entire surface, about 8 minutes.

Step 9

Remove the dough mixture from the refrigerator and, using two soup spoons, scoop out one tablespoon of dough at a time; use one spoon to cut the dough off the other spoon and drop it into the simmering broth.

Step 10

Continue scooping and dropping dough until all the mixture is used; you should have 8 to 10 dumplings in the pot.

Step 11

Once all dumplings are in the water, allow them to return to a gentle simmer — tiny bubbles rising steadily, not a rolling boil — and cook uncovered for 12 minutes until they are cooked through.

Step 12

Using a slotted spoon, lift each cooked dumpling from the water and transfer it to a serving bowl or plate; they should look pale golden and feel firm when lifted.

Step 13

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat, about 60 seconds, then pour the melted butter over the warm dumplings.

Step 14

Ladle some of the cooking broth into the bowl with the dumplings or serve the broth alongside in small cups for dipping.