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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Sweet Šišky with Fried Breadcrumbs

    Published: Feb 2, 2022 · Modified: Apr 8, 2022 by Petra Kupská

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    This Czech food brings back fond memories of childhood. Potato šišky dish topped with sweet fried breadcrumbs belongs to the typical comfort food that Bohemian grannies made for their grandchildren.

    Czech sisky with fried breadcrumbs served on a plate.
    Table of Contents hide
    ➜ What are šišky?
    ➜ Ingredients
    ➜ Instructions with photos
    ➜ Serving
    ➜ How to freeze šišky?
    ➜ Useful tips
    Sweet Šišky with Fried Breadcrumbs


    ➜ What are šišky?

    Šišky, pronounced "shishky", are a type of potato dumplings shaped like a finger or a small sausage. Their main ingredient is pre-cooked potatoes in the skin, followed by flour, egg, and a pinch of salt. The resulting potato dough is formed into šišky shape and boiled in water.

    Šišky taste neutral on their own and can be served with either sweet or salty topping. Today's recipe will introduce a sweet variant with breadcrumbs fried with sugar.

    MY TIP: Similar to this recipe are Czech noodles with poppy seeds; try them too!

    ➜ Ingredients

    Sisky with sweed fried breadcrumbs ingredients listed with description.

    To make šišky with fried breadcrumbs, you will need:

    POTATO DOUGH:

    • Potatoes; boiled in the skin and cooled. Yukon Gold multi-purpose potatoes are a good choice.
    • All-purpose flour; the amount I list in the recipe card below is approximate. Each type of flour soaks liquids differently, so adjust the amount when making the potato dough. Czechs often use what is called coarse flour. If you are based in the USA, mix semolina with all-purpose flour in half and half ratio. The šišky taste good made with all-purpose flour only; they will just be denser.
    • Salt
    • Egg

    BREADCRUMBS TOPPING:

    • Breadcrumbs; plain made from white bread, without any added flavor. The Czech word for breadcrumbs is "strouhanka".
    • Granulated sugar; to sweeten breadcrumbs
    • Unsalted butter; for frying the breadcrumbs

    Next, you need a little butter to pour over the šišky with breadcrumbs on the plate.

    ✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

    ➜ Instructions with photos

    STEP 1: Boil potatoes in their skin until soft. Depending on their size, this takes about 20 minutes. Check for doneness by piercing the potato with a fork. If the potatoes are soft, they are cooked. Drain the water and let them cool completely.

    Peel the cooled potatoes and grate them finely on a box grater. Add an egg, flour, and salt.

    STEP 2: Work into a compact dough. First, roughly mix all the ingredients in a bowl with a fork (photo 1). Then dump everything onto a floured work surface and knead until the dough does not stick (photo 2).

    If the dough is too sticky, dust it with a tablespoon of flour and work it in. Continue like this until the dough holds together nicely and does not stick to your hands.

    Making potato dough for Czech sisky.

    STEP 3: Divide the dough into three to four pieces. Roll each of them into a cylinder. Cut off equal-sized pieces and roll them into a šiška shape about the size of your index finger.

    Forming potato dough into šiška shape.

    STEP 4: Meanwhile, take a wide pot, pour water into it, add 1 tsp salt and let it boil on the stove. Turn down the heat so that the water simmers.

    Carefully drop šišky into the water. They will stick to the bottom, so gently peel them off with a spatula. Once the šišky have floated to the surface, cook for two more minutes. Transfer them to a shallow bowl using a colander or a slotted spoon.

    The whole cooking process takes about 10 minutes.

    STEP 5: Fry the breadcrumbs with sugar: Melt unsalted butter in a frying pan over medium heat and add the breadcrumbs. Stir. The breadcrumbs should turn golden within five minutes—if not, increase the heat slightly.

    Remove the pan from the heat and add granulated sugar to the breadcrumbs. Stir well.

    Frying breadcrumbs with sugar.

    ➜ Serving

    Arrange the cooked warm šišky on a plate and sprinkle with sweet breadcrumbs in the amount you like. I guess two, three heaping tablespoons of breadcrumbs per serving will work just right. Top with about a tablespoon of melted butter and dig in!

    Fun fact: Czechs do not eat this dish as a dessert, but as a sweet main course, usually for their dinner!

    Czech šišky se strouhankou served on a plate.

    ➜ How to freeze šišky?

    If you have any šišky leftovers, feel free to freeze them (without breadcrumbs!). Place them in a plastic bag and put them in a freezer. After about 20 minutes, take the bag out, shake it and separate the šišky from each other. Put them back in the freezer.

    This way, the šišky will freeze separately, and you can then take out just the amount you need.

    ➜ Useful tips

    • The exact amount of flour in the recipe depends not only on its type but also on the potatoes you have used. Starchy potatoes will need less flour, while waxy potatoes will take more flour to make a smooth dough. Learn more here.
    • Besides the fried breadcrumbs, sprinkle the šišky with ground poppy seeds and sugar, or top with the cooked fruit and crumbled fresh cheese. Coarsely chopped nuts with sugar are also delicious.
    • If you're not into sweets, prepare šišky in a salty style. The potato dough contains no sugar so that the šišky can serve as a welcome base for a savory dish. Enjoy them with sauerkraut and fried bacon cubes, for example!

    More sweet recipes:

    • Škubánky with poppy seeds
    • Czech apple strudel
    • Almond stuffed prunes

    Tried this recipe?

    Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest. Subscribe to my newsletter. Send me any question about Czech cuisine to my e-mail. I love hearing your feedback!

    Czech šišky with sweet fried breadcrumbs recipe.

    Sweet Šišky with Fried Breadcrumbs

    This Czech food brings back fond memories of childhood. Potato šišky dish topped with sweet fried breadcrumbs belongs to the typical comfort food that Bohemian grandmothers made for their grandchildren.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 28 minutes
    Servings: 3
    Calories: 853kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Potato recipes

    Ingredients

    Potato dough for šišky:

    • 1 pound potatoes (450 g) e.g., Yukon Gold or Russet
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 g) or a mixture of semolina and all-purpose flour, ratio 1:1
    • 1 egg
    • ¼ teaspoon salt

    Fried breadcrumbs:

    • 1 ¼ cups breadcrumbs (150 g) plain, unflavored
    • ½ cup granulated sugar (100 g)
    • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

    Misc.:

    • 1 teaspoon salt for water where the šišky will boil in
    • 3 teaspoons unsalted butter to pour over šišky on the plate

    Instructions

    • Boil the potatoes in their skin until soft. Depending on the size, this takes about 20 minutes. Check for doneness by piercing the potato with a fork. If the potatoes are soft, they are cooked. Drain the water and let them cool completely.
    • Peel the cooled potatoes and grate them finely on a box grater. Add an egg, flour, and salt.
    • Work into a compact dough. First, roughly mix all the ingredients in a bowl using a fork. Then dump the mass onto a floured work surface and knead until the dough does not stick.
    • If the dough is too sticky, dust it with a tablespoon of flour and work it in. Continue like this until the dough holds together nicely and does not stick to your hands.
    • Divide the dough into three to four pieces. Roll each of them into a cylinder. Cut off equal-sized pieces and roll them into a šiška shape about the size of your index finger.
    • Meanwhile, take a wide pot, pour water into it, add 1 tsp salt and let it boil on the stove. Turn down the heat so that the water simmers.
    • Carefully drop šišky into the water. They will stick to the bottom; gently peel them off with a spatula. Once the šišky have floated to the surface, cook for two more minutes. Transfer them to a shallow bowl using a colander or a slotted spoon. The whole cooking process takes about 10 minutes.
    • Fry the breadcrumbs with sugar: Melt unsalted butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Pour in the breadcrumbs; stir. The breadcrumbs should turn golden within five minutes—if not, increase the heat slightly. Remove the pan from the heat and add granulated sugar to the breadcrumbs. Stir well.

    Notes

    • Makes 3-4 yields.
    • SERVING: Arrange the cooked warm šišky on a plate and sprinkle with sweet breadcrumbs in the amount you like. I guess two, three heaping tablespoons of breadcrumbs per serving will work just right. Top with about a tablespoon of melted butter and dig in!
    • FUN FACT: Czechs do not eat this dish as a dessert, but as a sweet main course, usually for their dinner!
    • The exact amount of flour in the recipe depends not only on its type but also on the potatoes you have used. Starchy potatoes will need less flour, while waxy potatoes will take more flour to make a smooth dough.

    DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

    Conversion chart

    Nutritional Estimate pro portion

    Calories: 853kcal | Carbohydrates: 156g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 1335mg | Potassium: 841mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 451IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 8mg
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Daniela

      February 05, 2022 at 8:02 pm

      5 stars
      Petra - thank you for bringing back my childhood memories through this recipe. I made it this afternoon and we all enjoyed it. Thank you for all of your recipes. You put lots of work into them in order for those of us who do not live in Czech Republic are able to still bring a touch of home to our kitchens ;).

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        February 06, 2022 at 5:04 am

        Thank you, Daniela, for your nice words. Those always make me happy! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Sandy

      November 20, 2022 at 10:31 am

      We put the sweetened breadcrumbs over our plum dumplings. So delicious. Your recipes bring fond memories of my mom and grandmas.

      Reply

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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