Polish Drop Noodles or Laid Noodles as the Polish name (kluski kładzione) translates are simple to make with just a few ingredients. There are bound to be variations from one family to another, but it’s something that everyone makes and loves.
The most likely variation will be in the liquid used in the recipe. I’ve used water, but some cooks like to use milk or broth. Why not add a little more flavor? Adding a bit of fat to the recipe is also optional. I’ve used a tablespoon of melted butter, but you can leave it out or substitute bacon grease or another fat.
So many variations and I haven’t even touched on the fact that Polish Drop Noodles can be used in sweet or savory applications. I’ll list a few possibilities. Feel free to add your own in the comments below:
- add to tomato soup
- add to chicken or beef broth, rosół
- serve with onions that have been sauteed in butter (or onions sauteed with bacon)
- serve with sausages
- serve with a mushroom sauce or pan drippings
- serve with bacon bits and cottage cheese or farmer’s cheese
- add to a fruit soup
- add to a little warm milk or cream with sugar and cinnamon
- top with sugar and cottage cheese or farmer’s cheese and maybe a little cream
Making noodles might sound intimidating, but I want to assure you that it could not be simpler. You scoop up a small amount of the batter along the edge of a spoon and lay the batter into the hot liquid, hence the name laid noodles. If it doesn’t release from the spoon, a little sideways motion will do the trick. You can see my video of the process on TikTok here.
I’m cooking the noodles in simmering salted water, but if you plan to add them to broth, you could cook them in the broth instead of water, provided that you’ll be eating all of the soup right away. Polish cooks don’t add noodles directly to a soup they’re going to eat over time. The noodles keep soaking up liquid and make the broth cloudy. That’s why you’ll see noodles or pasta cooked separately and added to each bowl as the soup is being served.
That seems like plenty to get us started. Let me say that Polish Drop Noodles can also be made by adding cheese or potatoes to the dough. I’ll get to those recipes soon. In the meantime, let me know how you like these.
Smacznego!
Lois
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Polish Drop Noodles
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Noodle
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Polish
Description
Simple to make, sweet or savory, you’ll want to try these Polish drop noodles or laid noodles
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, water, eggs, and salt. When combined, add the butter and stir to incorporate.
- Scoop up a small amount of dough along the side of a tablespoon. Lower the spoon in the simmering water. If the noodle doesn’t release from the spoon, give it a sideways shake. Repeat, until you’ve used all of the dough or the pan in full (meaning you’ll need to cook more than one batch). The noodles will float to the top. Continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the noodles and serve.
Notes
To reheat, add to hot soup or broth, or saute in butter.
An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com, she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.
Emily T
Exactly like my Grammy’s, it’s my favorite!
Sharon
My very beloved grandma use to make these but she called them “Rivels”. She would drop these into beef broth. I can make them but of course nowhere near as well as she did.
Brian
Sounds so good and easy! I want some now! LOL
Diabe
As children we called them dumpers or dumplings. My children called them clouds. So do my grandchildren. ❤️
Beverly Leszczynski
1/2 cup of chicken broth and bacon grease. dip your spoon in the hot chicken broth before you drop the dough will slide out easy
Alicia Nobel
I use pretty much the same recipe minus the butter….but I am looking forward to trying it!!! Thanks!!!
Carol Kolinski DeSimone
I made these today. My relatives used to call them leadbellies, and now I know why I served with clear chicken broth as my grandmother used to do. . I thought they were tasty, just not exactly how I remember them. I will definitely make again.
Lee Ransley
We use them with chicken paprlkash. Yummy
Jean Turanski
My Mom added cottage cheese to the dough and we knew them as Lazy Pierogi.
Pamela Edson
Same recipe I use to make spaetzle, but I push them through a colander or a spaetzle maker.
Joy
I was thinking the same thing! As I was reading the recipe I thought it sounded like spaetzle but was not sure.
Nicole O
Done and they were perfect! I added the smallest amount of nutmeg just because that’s how we like them. Thanks so much!
Diana
I’m making them as I type. When mom made hers the dough wasn’t this loose. I don’t feel like getting the flour out so I’ll leave as is. I didn’t put the butter in because I’m debating!!will it make it even looser?
The main reason I’m writing is to tell you what mom does when cooking. She hopes the spoon in the cooking water. When it’s really hot the dough rolls off the spoon as you’re dipping the loaded spoon back into the water.
Russell Shum
do you know what this would be called if ground raw potatoes were added to this? Thank you
polishhousewife
Maybe kartoflane kluski?
Denise C
That’s what my family called them, and they were a little gray in color also! They were eaten on a plate with meat, sauerkraut and gravy, same with the ones that cottage cheese was added!
Always delicious! ( those with cottage cheese were always light and fluffy, the grated potato ones were firmer.
Enjoy!
Janet
My grandmother and mom also made the to go with pork roast and sauerkraut. We called it Niflis!!!, I still I’ve it!
Eva Brassfield
Depend on region in Poland – siwe kluski (gray kluski), zelazne kluski (iron kluski). There is more names for it.
Caroline
We called them lead sinkers. Combo polish Ukrainian German. She would boil then put them in a prk roast drippings and they were more than filling.
Cindy
We call them sinkers. My nana always made them with her vegetable beef soup.
Charlene Harris
I made them tonight with bacon grease and cottage cheese very good!
Edmund A Kawecki
Mom always made these with ground potato.
Willow
My Babci used to make these for me and we ate them with cottage cheese. I am definitely making them!
Jan Mohler
Mom frequently made these … economical when dropped into a tomato and beef bone liquid. We, too, called it kluski.
Smaller version, spaetzle , dough was pushed through a sieve and I think that’s Norwegian.
Loving your comments and recipes. Thank you.
Sylvia Purdy
Is this recipe right? Mine were VERY runny. They just fell apart in the water. I remember my granny having a much thicker batter. Dropping into a soup we called skubunki. Beef base. After a few failures I thickened mine with more flour to finish up. Bacon grease instead of butter sounds good too. With a little cottage cheese? Yum!
Diana Lis
My mom and mother-in-law used to make these. Mom would crack and beat an egg in an extra large coffee cup. Then she more or less added about a cop of flour, salt & pepper and stir together with a fork. It will feel like you need to add some liquid but don’t! Mom said you have to continue mixing vigorously and you’ll see the dough loosening. If you can’t get it to a smooth, kind of sticky dough then you can add a tablespoon of liquid and continue mixing.
When your water comes to a rolling boil turn the flame lower until there are simmering bubbles. Next hold a teaspoon in the pot water and heat up the spoon 15-20 seconds. Begin grabbing the dough with the teaspoon and placing the dough into the pot and continue until you use up the dough. Let them rise to the top then let simmer for 5-8 minutes. When ready scoop them out of the pot!
Dolores Cipolla
My mother used to make kluski with left over mashed potatoes, adding flour and egg
and I think some water. Do you have a recpie for something like that? I done remember
the amounts of flour
I want to try these.
Dolores
Lois Britton
Does this sound like it? https://polishhousewife.com/kluski-slaskie-silesian-dumplings/
Mika
I’m so excited to make these! I might make a care package for a friend with some – would these freeze well?
Lois Britton
I have not frozen them, but I think they would freeze well.
Patricia cerar
I love the polish drops. I am very polish. Looking for a cheese topping polish babka. If you have please share
Thank you
Marijke
I have been making these for over sixty years and there simply is nothing easier and more delicious in soups.
Mel
My family is German and Hungarian and I don’t know who started these as a family fav… bet we called them ( kanatels)they are one of the best comfort foods from my childhood and I make them for my kids except we coat them with buttons breadcrumbs can’t get any better
robert
Wonderful recipe we have been using for over 60+ years/ polish family
Patty
My Hungarian Grandma made these all the time in soups or served with cottage cheese and bacon. Always my favorite. Thanks for sharing.