Flädlesuppe

Method

1. Whisk the flour and salt in a bowl. Pour in about a third of the milk and whisk to a smooth paste before adding the rest. Starting thick is what gets rid of the lumps.
2. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the melted butter and the mineral water. The batter should run off the whisk in a thin ribbon.
3. Rest the batter 30 minutes at room temperature. The flour hydrates and the Flädle come out tender instead of rubbery. It will thicken as it sits, so loosen it with a splash of milk before you cook.
4. Heat a 24 cm nonstick or well seasoned pan over medium heat. Wipe it with butter. Ladle in just enough batter to coat the base, swirling the pan as you pour.
5. Cook about 1 minute, until the surface is set and the underside is pale gold, then flip and give it 30 seconds more. Flädle should stay flexible, not crisp. Stack them on a plate as you go. You should get 5 or 6.
6. Let the stack cool for a few minutes. Roll each Flädle up tightly and slice crosswise into ribbons about 5 mm wide. Shake them loose.
7. Bring the broth to a simmer and taste it. Season with salt and a little nutmeg if it needs lifting.
8. Divide the ribbons among warm bowls, pour the hot broth over them at the table, and scatter chives on top.

Notes

• Pour the broth over the Flädle at the last second. Ribbons that sit in hot broth swell and go slack within a few minutes, and that is the difference between a good bowl and a sad one.
• The Flädle can be made a day ahead. Cook them, cool them, stack them with a sheet of baking paper between every two, wrap the stack, and refrigerate. Roll and slice them straight from the fridge; cold Flädle cut much more cleanly than warm ones.
• This is also what Swabians actually do with leftover pancakes. Any plain unsweetened crepes from the day before get rolled, sliced, and turned into soup. The recipe below is the deliberate version, but the habit came first.
• The broth is the dish. A weak broth cannot be rescued by anything you do to the pancakes. Use homemade beef broth if you have it, or a good paste bouillon, and season it properly.
• Do not sweeten the batter and do not add vanilla. These are savoury pancakes.
• In Germany use Type 405 flour. In Canada, plain all-purpose is the right substitute.
• Some cooks fold half the chives into the batter for green flecks through the ribbons. It looks good and costs nothing.
• For a vegetarian bowl, use a strong clear vegetable broth. It is not traditional, but it works.

Sources used

• Einfach Kochen: Flädlesuppe nach Omas Original-Rezept
• Küche Gemacht: Original Flädlesuppe
• Emmi kocht einfach: Klassische Flädlesuppe
• Wikipedia: Flädle