Ham Dumplings

Ingredients

4cups All-purpose flour

2 Tablespoon baking powder

2 ¼   teaspoon salt

2 cup + 4 Tablespoons whole milk

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in medium size bowl; mix until smooth; let rest about 10 minutes.  Generously flour pastry mat.  Roll out dough to about ¼” thick.  Cut into 1/2 “ squares.  Lightly dust flour on top of dumplings.

Add 5 cups of remaining ham base broth to your pot and bring to a rolling boil.   Add dumplings & excess flour that’s on the mat; the excess flour will help thicken the broth.  Using a spoon, push the dumplings down in the broth.  (They will come back up, but that’s ok).  Cook on low to medium heat for 20 – 30 minutes, or until dumplings are done, stirring frequently.  (They will stick if you don’t stir them often).  After dumplings are done, add chicken to the dumplings and cook for about 5 minutes.   Serve with hot cornbread or crackers.  This makes huge pot of dumplings.  You can half the recipe. 

Ingredients

2 – 3  pounds of ham or ham steaks (I use fully cooked ham)

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons Ham base

10 cups water

Instructions

Make dumplings first and let set for about 10 minutes before adding to hot ham base broth. 

Add water to large pot.  Whisk in ham base.  Bring to a boil.  Leave on low or simmer until you get ready to add your dumplings.  Reserve about a cup to deglaze skillet with.

Cut ham into pieces, about 2 -3 inches, or bite size pieces.  Pre-heat skillet.  Add vegetable oil & heat. Add ham pieces to hot skillet.  Brown on both sides.  Remove and place on paper towel to soak any excess oil.  Add cup of reserved ham base liquid to deglaze pan.  Pour into pot with other ham base broth.

After dumplings have cooked for about 15 minutes, add ham pieces to dumplings and finish cooking.