I never state in the recipe this dumpling is "fluffy" like your Momma's flour dumplings. The mouth feel is similar, but they are indeed somewhat dense. Those that like fluffy will just not like this recipe. These are more like the al dente Italian style noodles and dumplings. But the hubs and I like that kind. In general, people either really like this dumpling recipe or really don't. You may fall into the latter category.