Sourdough Drop Dumplings

Method

1. 1

   Bring the broth and carrot to a simmer in a wide pot. Add the chicken if you are using it. The pot should bubble gently, not boil hard. A hard boil tears the dumplings.

2. 2

   Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter until the pieces are small. Stir in the discard and the milk just until a soft dough forms. It should be sticky enough to drop from a spoon, not firm enough to roll.

3. 3

   Dip a spoon in the broth, then scoop about 35 grams of dough and drop it on top of the liquid. Leave a little room between them. You should get about 12, and they will not match.

4. 4

   Cover the pot. Simmer 12 to 15 minutes, until a dumpling in the center is cooked through and no wet dough remains. Do not lift the lid for the first 10 minutes. Serve from the pot.

From the kitchen

• Unfed discard from the refrigerator is right. Bubbly active starter makes them taste sharp and can make the dough slack.
• If the dumplings dissolve, the dough was too wet or the broth was at a rolling boil. Add a spoon of flour next time, and keep the pot at a simmer.