German Spaetzle

Homemade German spaetzle with tender egg noodles scraped into simmering water, then tossed with butter and herbs.

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Spaetzle batter is softer than pasta dough. The characteristic irregular noodles come from pressing or scraping the batter directly into simmering water.

Ingredients

• 400 g plain flour
• 4 eggs
• 160 ml milk (plus more if needed)
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
• 50 g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley (finely chopped)
• 0.25 tsp black pepper
• 3 litres salted water (for cooking)

Step-by-step method

1. Whisk the flour, salt and nutmeg together in a large bowl.
2. Beat the eggs with the milk, then pour the mixture into the flour. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains.
3. Continue beating the batter for 3–5 minutes until smooth, glossy and elastic. It should slowly fall from the spoon in thick ribbons. Add a splash more milk if it is too stiff.
4. Cover the bowl and rest the batter for 10–15 minutes while bringing a large pot of salted water to a gentle simmer.
5. Working in batches, press the batter through a spaetzle maker or coarse colander, or scrape thin strips from a damp chopping board directly into the simmering water.
6. Stir gently once to stop the noodles sticking together. When the spaetzle float to the surface, cook for another 1 minute.
7. Lift them out with a slotted spoon into a bowl. Toss each batch with a little of the butter so the noodles do not stick.
8. When all the spaetzle are cooked, melt any remaining butter in a wide pan and toss the noodles for 2–3 minutes until hot. Finish with parsley and black pepper before serving.