Spätzle (pressed egg noodles)
Egg spätzle made with a spätzle press or ricer rather than scraped off a board by hand, which works with a slightly looser batter and pushes clean, even strands straight into the water, giving a more uniform result with less mess than the traditional board method. Working in small batches through the press is what keeps the strands from clumping together the moment they hit the water.
Prep10 min
Cook15 min
Rest15 min
Servings4
Christoph's pressed spätzle, made with a spätzle press for a more uniform result with less mess than the board method.
Ingredients
Written for a 4 L pot
Units
Temperature
Servings
Spätzle
- 400 g flour rounded
- 5 eggs rounded
- 8 g fine salt rounded
- 150 ml water, as needed rounded
- 40 g butter, for tossing rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Combine the flour, eggs and salt in a bowl. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for 2 to 3 minutes, adding water a little at a time, until a smooth batter forms that’s slightly looser than the board-scraping method, thick enough to hold together but pourable into a press.
- Let rest for 15 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a spätzle press or ricer with a portion of the batter and press directly over the boiling water, letting the strands fall in.
- Cook until they float, about 2 minutes, then lift out with a slotted spoon. Repeat in small batches with the remaining batter.
- Toss the cooked spätzle with the butter before serving.
Notes
- Use a slightly looser batter for the press than you would for hand-scraping. A press needs the batter to flow through its holes; too stiff and it won’t push through cleanly, too thin and the strands fall apart before they set in the water.
- Work in small batches through the press. Pressing too much batter at once drops the water temperature and the strands stick together instead of cooking evenly and separately.
- Let the batter rest before pressing. This gives the flour time to hydrate fully, resulting in a smoother texture.
- Toss with butter immediately after draining, which stops the strands sticking to each other as they cool.
Ingredient substitutions
- This is a plain version, meant as a base for whatever sauce or dish you’re serving alongside, such as goulash, mushroom sauce, or grated cheese and fried onions (Käsespätzle).
- A pinch of nutmeg in the batter is a traditional addition.
- Leftover spätzle reheat well in a hot pan with a little butter.
From Christoph Mayer