Homemade Austrian Powidltascherln

In the article below you will find a classic Austrian / Bohemian Powidltascherln recipe with simple potato dough as well as detailed instructions with pictures.

Powidltascherl are a traditional Austrian and Bohemian pastry dish made of potato dough with a filling of Powidl, a special plum spread typical for many Central and Eastern European countries.

Powidl, as you can also read on Wikipedia, is a spread of plums, cooked on the stovetop or in the oven for several hours. The result is an almost black (but not burnt) and sticky mass, which is again cooked with apple juice (or other liquids), optional sugar and spices to taste (like cinnamon or cloves), until it has a jam-like consistency.

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• Homemade Austrian Powidltascherln

Video

In this video you will find a short overview of the most important steps for the Powidltascherln. You can find more videos like this on the Youtube account of Vienna Sunday Kitchen. I'm happy if you subscribe to my channel!

Ingredients

For the potato dough

• 400 g of floury potatoes (14 oz / 0.9 lbs)
• 125 g all purpose flour (1 cup)
• 1 egg yolk
• 25 g butter (bit less than 2 tablespoons)
• pinch of salt

For the toasted breadcrumbs

• 1 tablespoon butter , unsalted
• 150 g breadcrumbs, unflavored ~ 1 cup
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar

Further

• ~½ cup of Powidl (~100g)
• flour to spread on the working surface
• powdered sugar for sprinkling on top

Instructions

Boil potatoes with peel the day before. Peel and press through a potato press. Alternatively, strain through a sieve or grate finely.

Knead with all ingredients for the dough for 1-2 minutes. Do not knead too long, otherwise the dough may lose its binding.

Let dough rest in a bowl covered with a plate or lid for 20-30 minutes. Not much longer, because otherwise the dough becomes dry. Do not just cover with a dish tuck, because the dough will dry out even then.

If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle with a little more flour. If the dough is dry, add very little water (or even some of the leftover egg white).

Roll out on a floured work surface to a thickness of about 0.5cm (0.2 inches).

Cut out circles (approx. 10cm / 5 inches diameter) or squares

Fill each piece of dough with a teaspoon of Powidl, close and press the edges well, so that nothing can run out during cooking.

In a saucepan, bring water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Simmer the Tascherln for about 10 minutes until they float to the surface.

In the meantime, in a frying pan on medium heat, toast 1 tablespoon of butter with sugar and breadcrumbs until golden brown.

Strain the cooked Tascherln, put in the pan with the breadcrumbs and carefully sprinkle some of the breadcrumbs on top.

Serve with powdered sugar.

Equipment

For pressing the potatoes it is best to use a potato ricer. Potato ricers can also be used for mashed potatoes, potato dumplings, poppy seed noodles and spaetzle.

Alternatively, the potatoes can be strained through a sieve or finely grated with a grater.

Caution: Never puree the potatoes with a blender or mixer. This would cause the starch contained in the potatoes to combine too much and they will become sticky and tough and the dough will not hold together well. (we don't want that!)