Name: Skierbieszów Apple Kisielica with Spelt Dumplings
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 6 servings, about 48 small dumplings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 1,000 g firm sweet-tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into 2 cm pieces; 2 L water; 2 cinnamon sticks; 4 whole cloves; 1 g anise seeds; 240 ml apple juice for the soup; 240 ml pasteurized sweet cream, about 30% fat; 24 g potato starch; 25 g sugar; 4 g fine salt; 0.15 g saffron threads; 280 g spelt flour; 50 g beaten egg without shell, about 1 large egg; 180 ml apple juice; 3 L water; 18 g fine salt; most stays in the pot; 2 g fresh mint, finely sliced

A wide view of „Skierbieszów Apple Kisielica with Spelt Dumplings“ arranged on a table for serving.

Yield 6 servings, about 48 small dumplings

Serving about 500 ml soup with 8 dumplings

Prep time 35 minutes

Cook time 40 minutes

Ingredients ↓

At a glance

Skierbieszów Apple Kisielica with Spelt Dumplings

Excerpt: A creamy Polish apple soup with visible fruit, spelt dumplings and a saffron finish.

Kisielica skierbieszowska is a creamy apple soup from Skierbieszów in the Lublin region of Poland. It has a soft cream-colored broth with visible pieces of apple, small dumplings made from spelt flour, egg and apple juice, and a yellow-gold finish from saffron. Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture added the named dish to its Traditional Products List on 10 August 2023.

The soup belongs to a broader tradition of fruit soups in the area. Apples simmer with cinnamon, cloves and anise until tender, then cream and apple juice turn the cooking liquid into a lightly thickened soup. The separate spelt dumplings are gently dropped into salted water, so they keep their shape when served in the bowl.

This measured home version makes six bowls, each with about 500 ml of soup and eight small dumplings. The local recipe uses apple juice in both the soup and dumpling batter; the fruit stays in visible pieces rather than being puréed. Potato starch gives the soup a smooth, lightly coating texture, while saffron supplies its warm golden color. A little fresh mint is an optional aroma variation.

Keep the raw egg batter away from ready-to-eat foods, and wash your hands, bowl, whisk and work surface after contact. Cook the dumplings fully; cut a test dumpling to confirm there is no raw batter, and check that its centre reaches 71 °C. Cool soup and dumplings in shallow containers within 2 hours, refrigerate at or below 4 °C, use within 3–4 days and reheat throughout to 74 °C.

Tips for success

Choose firm, sweet-tart apples so the pieces soften without disappearing during simmering.
Cut the apples into even 2 cm pieces for a consistent tender bite.
Whisk the potato starch into the cold cream and apple juice until no dry lumps remain.
Add a ladle of hot soup to the cold thickener before returning it to the pot to help it blend smoothly.
Keep the dumpling batter thick and spoonable; add the measured apple juice gradually while mixing.
Steep the saffron in hot soup liquid before stirring it through for even color and aroma.

Ingredients

Apple soup

1,000 g firm sweet-tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into 2 cm pieces
2 L water
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
1 g anise seeds
240 ml apple juice for the soup
240 ml pasteurized sweet cream, about 30% fat
24 g potato starch
25 g sugar
4 g fine salt
0.15 g saffron threads

Spelt dumplings

280 g spelt flour
50 g beaten egg without shell, about 1 large egg
180 ml apple juice

For boiling the dumplings

3 L water
18 g fine salt; most stays in the pot

Optional aroma

2 g fresh mint, finely sliced

Method

Directions

Simmer the apples with spices.Put the water, cinnamon sticks, cloves and anise seeds in the 5 L soup pot and bring to a gentle boil. Add the apple pieces and simmer for about 15 minutes, until tender but still holding their shape.
Mix and rest the dumpling batter.While the apples cook, whisk the spelt flour with the beaten egg. Gradually mix in 180 ml apple juice until the batter is thick and spoonable. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
Thicken the soup.In a bowl, whisk the potato starch into the cold cream and 240 ml apple juice until smooth. Slowly whisk in a ladle of hot apple liquid, then pour the mixture back into the pot while stirring. Simmer gently for 2–3 minutes, until the soup lightly coats a spoon. Stir in the sugar and 4 g salt; keep the apple pieces intact.
Cook the dumplings separately.Bring 3 L water and 18 g salt to a boil in the second pot. Drop the batter in small teaspoon portions, about 48 in all, and stir gently once. After they float, simmer for about 2–3 minutes. Cut a test dumpling to confirm the centre is cooked through and reaches at least 71 °C. Lift them out with a slotted spoon.
Finish with saffron.Put the saffron threads in a small bowl with 15 ml hot soup liquid and steep for 2 minutes. Stir the saffron liquid through the soup until the color is even.
Check the seasoning.Taste a spoonful of broth with an apple piece. Keep the soup gently sweet and lightly seasoned, using only the measured sugar and salt.
Serve.Divide the dumplings among six bowls and ladle the hot apple soup over them, keeping the apple pieces visible. Add the sliced mint only if using the optional variation.

Nutrition and allergens

Caloriesabout 450 kcal per serving
Proteinabout 10 g
Fatabout 15 g
Saturated fatabout 8 g
Carbohydratesabout 74 g
Fibreabout 9 g
Sodiumabout 330 mg

Contains wheat/spelt and gluten, egg, and milk (cream). Keep raw egg batter separate from ready-to-eat foods; wash hands, equipment and surfaces after handling. Cook dumplings through and check a test centre at 71 °C. Cool within 2 hours, store at or below 4 °C for 3–4 days and reheat to 74 °C.

Nutrition and allergens

Serving, storage and reheating: Serve the soup hot, with the soft spelt dumplings in each bowl and the apple pieces visible. The saffron should tint the cream-colored soup pale gold rather than dominate its aroma. Add the optional 2 g mint just before serving for a fresher herbal note.

Serving, storage and reheating: For make-ahead preparation, cook the soup and dumplings separately. Cool them promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep the dumplings in a separate covered container so they do not absorb too much soup; add them when reheating or serving.

Serving, storage and reheating: Refrigerate leftovers at or below 4 °C and use within 3–4 days. Reheat soup and dumplings until the centre reaches 74 °C, stirring the soup gently so it heats evenly. Do not leave cooked soup or dumplings at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Serving, storage and reheating: There is no direct substitute recommended for the spelt flour, because spelt dumplings define this named version. Fresh mint is an optional aroma variation; omit it for the core cinnamon, anise and saffron profile.

Estimate basis: one-sixth of the soup and about 8 of 48 dumplings, using generic data for apples, spelt flour, egg, cream, apple juice, starch and sugar. Includes the soup salt but excludes most of the dumpling-water salt, which is discarded. Values vary by apple variety and ingredient brands.

Skierbieszów Apple Kisielica with Spelt Dumplings

Tips for success

Ingredients

Apple soup

Spelt dumplings

For boiling the dumplings

Optional aroma

Method

Nutrition and allergens

Nutrition and allergens

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