Hungarian Túrógombóc (Sweet Farmer's Cheese Dumplings)

About This Recipe

Hungarian Túrógombóc is a real, traditional Hungarian dish, known as Sweet Farmer's Cheese Dumplings. Soft dumplings made from fresh farmer's cheese, boiled and rolled in buttery breadcrumbs, served with sour cream and sugar.\n\nTúrógombóc is a traditional Hungarian dessert built around túró, the country's fresh farmer's cheese, historically a way to use dairy surplus from home dairy production into a comforting, not-too-sweet treat.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Hungarian home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 gtúró (Hungarian farmer's cheese) or dry cottage cheese(well-drained)
• 2eggs
• 100 gsemolina or farina
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 1 tsplemon zest
• 4 tbspbutter
• 1 cupbreadcrumbs
• 150 mlsour cream(to serve)
• 3 tbspsugar(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Combine the drained farmer's cheese, eggs, semolina, salt and lemon zest, mixing until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Rest for 20 minutes so the semolina absorbs moisture.

2. 2

   Shape the dumplings

   Wet your hands and shape the dough into small balls, about the size of a golf ball.

3. 3

   Boil

   Cook the dumplings in gently simmering salted water for about 8 minutes, until they float and are cooked through.

4. 4

   Toast the breadcrumbs

   While the dumplings cook, melt butter in a skillet and toast the breadcrumbs until golden and fragrant.

5. 5

   Coat

   Drain the boiled dumplings and roll them in the toasted buttery breadcrumbs until fully coated.

6. 6

   Serve

   Serve warm, topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of sugar.

Variations

• •

  Add a few raisins to the dough for extra sweetness and texture.

• •

  Some households drizzle the finished dumplings with warm apricot jam instead of sugar.

• •

  A version with a small cube of fruit hidden inside each dumpling is a traditional treat in some regions.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions