Potato Noodles (Schupfnudeln)
Basics, Dumplings, Noodles, Potatoes, Sides, Swabian, Vegetarian

Potato Noodles (‘Schupfnudeln’)

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Last Updated on 4 years by Tim

German potato noodles are my favorite potato side dish. Caramelized on the outside and fluffy on the inside. These potato noodles are similar to Italian gnocchi, the main difference being the shape.

German potato noodles are often referred to as finger noodles because of how they look. But that’s not what their old Swabian name ‘Buabaspitzla’ refers to. The word ‘Buaba’ means little boys and the boys ‘Spitzla’ aren’t their fingers. I’m sure with a little imagination you can quickly figure out what body part of the little boys these potato noodles resemble.

These noodles have already been invented long before the potato became a part of Swabian cuisine. They’ve been purely flour-based before someone had the idea to prepare them with a potato dough. The main reason why they became potato-based is that flour was always expensive and scarce in Swabia. Potato noodles were originally a way to stretch the valuable flour with the cheap potato. Nowadays, they are most commonly potato-based because most people prefer the potato version.

I don’t know about the history of gnocchi but I believe that their story of origin is very similar to the one of the potato noodle. As you might know, French gnocchi are still prepared with a flour-based choux pastry while the Italian equivalent is made from potato dough. I guess the people in Paris must’ve been wealthy enough to have a steady supply of flour so they didn’t need to stretch the dough with potato.

The Building Blocks of German Cusine Series
This article is part of my basics series, which will introduce you to key ingredients and preparation methods. You can find all these articles in the ‘Basics’ category of this blog. Listed below are the articles that have yet been published in this series:

The best potato variety for potato noodles

Potato noodles are readily available in the convenience section of all major grocery stores in Germany. However, they always have too much starch added to them which makes the inside rubbery rather than fluffy. The store-bought noodles are also very thick and don’t resemble the traditional shape. Potato noodles only taste good if you prepare them fresh at home.

It’s best to use starchy potatoes for this dish so that, when mixing the potato dough, you need to add less potato starch to it. The less extra starch and flour you add, the better your potato noodles will be in texture and taste. It’s best to use a coarsely milled wheat flour for this dish. That way the potato dough won’t be sticky when you work with it. In Germany, it’s called ‘Spätzlemehl’ or ‘griffiges Mehl’. Maybe you can also find it under the name of dumpling or pasta flour.

Floury jacket potatoes

The potatoes need to be cooked shell-on and peeled while they’re still hot. The inside needs to be dry. If you peel and cut the potato before cooking, it will be watery and tasteless. Moist potato dough is hard to handle and requires the addition of much more flour and starch.

You can, of course, use your potato masher to mash your potatoes. But I prefer using my spaetzle press or potato ricer for this task. This ensures that your potato dough will be completely smooth and doesn’t get overworked.

The potatoes will remain hot for quite a while after cooking. It’s fine to let them cool down a little before you start kneading the dough (that also prevents your egg yolks from curdling). But make sure to mash or rice them while they’re still hot to ensure a smooth texture.

Potato dough should only be briefly mixed

When incorporating the flour and starch into the dough, work as fast as you can and don’t overwork the dough. You don’t want to develop the gluten. The inside of the dough should remain fluffy. If you knead it unnecessarily, the dough will also get sticky and hard to handle. Just mix the dough until it comes together and dust your work surface with flour.

Potato dough before mixing
Potato dough after mixing

Working in batches, roll the dough out into a long sausage and divide it into 1-inch squares. Roll these squares into a finger-like shape that gets thinner towards the sides using the palm of your hand.

Rolling the dough into a large sausage
Cutting the sausage into smaller pieces
What a rolled Schupfnudel looks like

It’s important to blanch the potato noodles before pan-frying them. Make sure your blanching water is lightly salted and that it is just lightly simmering. Water that is boiling heavily could make your potato noodles fall apart. The potato noodles are cooked once they float on the surface. You can then gently drain them and leave them to dry a little on your kitchen counter. Be gentle as blanched potato noodles are very fragile. They will firm up once cooled and pan-fried.

How to serve German potato noodles

Serving the potato noodles couldn’t be easier. Just heat some clarified butter over medium heat and saute the potato noodles until golden brown on both sides. If you don’t have any clarified butter on hand, substitute a neutral cooking oil.

Pan-frying the potato noodles in clarified butter

For a buttery flavor, I reserve some regular butter and put it in at the end so that it won’t burn. If you have some excess oil in the pan, make sure to drain your potato noodles on a paper towel so they aren’t greasy on the outside.

You can serve them with anything saucy like goulash or pork pot roast. The most common way to eat them is with sauerkraut and bacon.

7 Comments

  1. Pingback: Potato Noodles with Sauerkraut and Bacon ('Schupfnudeln mit Sauerkraut und Speck') - My German Table

  2. Pingback: German Boiled Potatoes ('Kartoffeln') - My German Table

  3. What type of American potato is used also is pastry four always used in your recipe

    • Thanks for your comment, Sandra! You can use any starchy potato variety. As far as I know, the most popular starchy potato variety in the US is called Russet.

      Every white wheat or spelt flour is fine for this recipe. You can use pastry flour, all-purpose, or even bread flour. I always recommend to use a flour that has been milled a bit more coarsley because this gives the potato noodles a firmer bite and the dough is less sticky. In Germany, this flour is called “Spätzlemehl” or “griffiges Mehl” but it is no necessity. Just use the flour you have on hand and add a bit more if the dough seems very sticky. If it is too dry, you can always add a bit more water. It’s best to go by feel. Add as much flour as needed until the potato dough doesn’t stick horribly to your work surface (that can in some cases be much more than I specify). Every potato is different, so it’s always hard to give exact quantitities in the recipe instructions.

      I hope that helps – Tim

  4. Hi Tim,
    danke fuer das super Rezept! Hat eins a geklappt. Ich hab nach einem “authentischen” aber nordamerikanischen Rezept gesucht, weil ja hier das Mehl so anders ist, dass man nie genau weiss was mit deutschen Rezepten passiert.
    Liebe Gruesse aus Vancouver, BC

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