Karlovarské knedle: Czech bread dumplings with bacon

Name: Karlovarské knedle: Czech bread dumplings with bacon
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Slovak
Ingredients: 250 g Stale bread rolls; 250 ml Milk; 2 Egg yolks; to taste Salt; to taste Nutmeg; 20 g Butter; 40-50 g Coarse wheat flour (semolina-like); from 2 egg whites Stiffly beaten egg whites; 100 g Bacon (finely chopped)

Czech bread dumplings made with stale rolls, bacon, nutmeg, and beaten egg whites. Boil for 15 minutes and serve with sauces or cabbage.

Slovak cuisine · Translated from Slovak · October 24, 2026

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Recipe at a glance

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Servings: 4 servings
Difficulty: Medium
Cuisine: Slovak

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Karlovarské knedle, or Karlovy Vary-style bread dumplings, are a variation on Czech dumplings made with stale bread and finely chopped bacon. The cubed rolls are soaked in milk mixed with egg yolks, seasoned with salt and nutmeg, and bound with coarse wheat flour and beaten egg whites. The dough is shaped into balls with wet hands and cooked in boiling water for about 15 minutes. Serve with sauces, goulash, or braised cabbage.

Instructions

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

Cut the rolls into cubes and pour over the milk mixed with the egg yolks.
Season with salt and a pinch of nutmeg, add finely chopped parsley and the coarse wheat flour, and mix thoroughly. Fold in the beaten egg whites last.
Fold in the beaten egg whites gently to keep the dough light and airy.
With damp hands, shape the dough into balls and cook in boiling water for about 15 minutes.

Tip: Briefly cook the bacon in a dry skillet first and let it cool so it won't be rubbery in the cooked dumplings. You can also lightly toast the cubed rolls in the rendered fat.

Nutrition facts

Approximate values per serving, calculated from the ingredients

Energy: 427 kcal
Protein: 16 g
Carbohydrates: 45 g
of which sugars: 4.7 g
Fat: 20 g
of which saturates: 7.7 g
Fiber: 1.8 g
Salt: 2.0 g

Calculated from the raw ingredients, without frying oil. Where an amount is “to taste”, typical amounts are used. Food composition: USDA FoodData Central and product labels.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Karlovarské knedle so slaninou a muškátovým orieškom