Ralph has fond memories of his mom making this meal.

Hefeklöße are a German version of a steamed dumpling and are ideal for mopping up gravy. Or you can pour a sweet fruit sauce over top and have them for dessert. Whenever Ralph makes them, I devour at least three or four. If you make them, be sure to reserve one for throwing at your family or friends after dinner. It’s tradition.

Our regular Saturday market pork butcher Feddern was on vacation, so Ralph picked up the pork roast from Hoose Landschlachterei, another one of our favourite vendors and our supplier of cow heart and liver for Mogly’s dog food.

Hoose also operates a gem of a retail store in nearby Hammoor, and when you walk through the door the year could be 1960 or earlier with a broad selection of freshly prepared meat in their counter, various cured sausages hanging on the wall, and a shelf filled with canned goods.

There’s no website for Hoose, and you won’t find them on Instagram. Their popularity is built on loyalty from generations of local hungry customers. Best kind of marketing.

Ingredients for Pork Roast

• Pork loin roast (ideally a cut with fat for cracklin’ skin)
• Garlic powder, salt, pepper QB
• 1 large onion, cut in pieces
• 3 carrots, cut in pieces
• 5 cloves of garlic peeled

Ingredients for Hefeklöße

• 1 pkg dry yeast
• ¼ cup warm water
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¼ cup warm milk
• Approx. 3 cups flour

Instructions for Pork

1. Rub pork with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
2. Toss onion, carrots and garlic in a deep sided oven proof pan.
3. Lay pork roast on top skin side up and pour a cup of water around the vegetables.
4. Bake in oven at uncovered at 120°C for 4-5 hours with convection (fan) on.
5. When roast is done spoon off most of the fat if there is an excess.
6. Crush the carrots and garlic and sprinkle ¼ cup of flour on top.
7. Place on burner at medium heat and stir to incorporate the flour and veggies.
8. Pour in a cup of beef or chicken stock and heat through allowing the flour to thicken the liquid to gravy consistency.
9. If too thick add more stock or water, if too thin but flavourful, whisk a heaping tablespoon of flour in a ½ cup of water and stir into bubbling pan.
10. Strain through a sieve into a gravy boat.

Instructions for Hefeklöße

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the yeast with warm water. Cover with a tea towel.
2. Once it bubbles (about 15 minutes), add the sugar and milk. Cover again with a tea towel and let it bubble again.
3. Put the mixing bowl in your mixer with dough or batter attachment (whisk is too weak). Start to add flour and keep adding and mixing until it forms into a clump of dough. Knead it a bit manually to make sure it is not too wet (add flour if it is).
4. Sprinkle the bowl with flour, put the dough back in and sprinkle with more flour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap (I prefer this over a towel as it doesn’t stick as much if the dough is tacky) and place it in a warm area until it rises and puffs up nice, approx. 2-3 hours.
5. Sprinkle flour on your counter, flop down dough and knead. Add flour if too dry until it doesn’t stick to your fingers anymore.
6. Roll out dough with rolling pin until 5cm thick.
7. Cut dough into circles with a cutter or glass approx. 6-7cm in diameter. Knead the leftover dough again, roll out and cut more dumplings. Repeat until all the dough is used.
8. Put dumplings on a floured or non-stick pan, cover with a towel and let rise for another hour.
9. Once the roast is done and the dumplings have risen it’s time to steam them- this will take about 20 minutes if your steamer is ready so just enough time to make the gravy while they are steaming. [My mother used a big pot with a tall lid to steam so I like doing it the same way. I had her pot for many years until I found out the health risks associated with aluminum and threw it out. Turns out my big Paderno roasting pan has a deep lid as the lid is also a roasting pan so it is perfect! I have tried them in our bamboo dim sum steamer and I found they stuck too much but if you have a steamer it is easier.]
10. Find a tea towel that is the right size and use a big elastic band to hold it on the rim. Remember to put the water in the pan first.  
11. Tuck up the edges, especially if you have a gas cooktop so they don’t start on fire!
12. Get the water boiling and place dumplings on the cloth with a bit of separation for rising. Put the lid on.
13. Steam for 15-20 minutes until risen and not gooey inside (bread consistency)
14. It is critical that you tear them apart with your hands into bite size pieces and pour on the gravy!