1Place the ham in a large soup pot (at least 10 quart size), and pour in 16 to 20 cups of water to cover. Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer the ham to make a rich stock, about 2 hours. Remove the ham, and skim any foam off the broth. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste) to broth, if necessary.
2Place the potatoes in a large bowl, and use very wet hands to mix in the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt to make a sticky dough.
3Bring the ham stock to a full, rolling boil. Place a bowl of water near the stove. With very wet hands, pinch off about 2/3 cup of dough, and press a piece of bacon into the center of the dough. Roll the dough into a ball about 2 1/2 inches across, and slip the kumla into the boiling broth along the side of the pot. Don't drop them into the middle of the broth to avoid splashing the hot broth. Repeat with the remaining dough, using the bowl of water to keep your hands very wet, until all the dumplings have been added to the broth.
4Cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes, then use a slotted spoon or spatula to gently lift any stuck dumplings from the bottom of the pot. Cover the pot again, and simmer the dumplings for about 1 hour. They will float to the top of the broth as they cook.
5Gently lift the kumla from the broth with a slotted spoon, and stack them in a bowl for serving. Sprinkle with salt and pepper before serving.
Footnotes
Cook's Notes
Taste the broth, and if necessary, add salt to taste. I have substituted concentrated ham seasoning broth in lieu of cooking a ham down, and it works fine.
If you let the potato batter set too long, you may have to add more flour to keep the consistency thick (salt extracts moisture from the potatoes).
Tip
Aluminum foil helps keep food moist, ensures it cooks evenly, keeps leftovers fresh, and makes clean-up easy.