Fried Dough Recipes

Lithuanian Ausuki

Fried, sugared dough without yeast, popular in Lithuania at Easter and Christmastime.

The dough should be rolled very thin, then a slit is cut in the dough and the ends of the dough strip slipped through, to make the pig ear shape. My sister Diane loved ausuki, but my mom didn't really like frying them. She said using an electric frying pan was easier to keep the frying oil temperature consistent. Try using a deep fryer if you have one.

Ingredients:

• 2 egg yolks
• 1 whole large egg
• 1 Tbsp sour cream
• 2-1/2 Tbsp whipping cream (35% fat)
• 3-1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1-1/2 cups white flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• oil for frying
• powdered (icing) sugar

Method:

1. Whisk egg yolk and egg together in a small bowl.
2. Whisk in sour cream, cream, sugar.
3. Sift salt and flour into the bowl.
4. Stir together.
5. Knead dough on a floured surface with floured hands.
6. Roll out very thin.
7. Use a diamond-shaped cookie cutter or cut the dough into diamond-shaped strips about 4" by 2".
8. Cut a lengthwise strip in the centre of each.
9. Pull each end of the strip through the slit to make a "pig's ear"
10. Fry about 6 at a time in 350-380 degree F. oil until ausukis become golden and puff slightly.
11. Remove from oil with tongs, drain on paper towel.
12. When cool enough, roll in powdered sugar.

Here's another version of Ausukis with lemon and rum flavoring. My mother never made this one but the directions for making it are the same. Use these ingredients:

• 5 egg yolks
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 Tbsp sour cream
• 1 Tbsp lemon extract
• 1 Tbsp melted salted butter
• 1 Tbsp rum
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 cups sifted white flour
• oil for frying
• icing sugar

Fattigmand

In Norway, the same cookies are made at Christmas time. Norwegians call them "poor man's cakes" or Fattigmand. This recipe makes 3 to 4 dozen so you'll be frying cookies for awhile.

• 6 egg yolks (large)
• 6 Tbsp (90 mL) white granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp (15 mL) melted butter
• pinch of salt
• pinch of cardamom
• 6 Tbsp 18% table cream
• 3 cups flour, or less
• vegetable oil for frying
• icing sugar

1. In a large bowl, beat 6 egg yolks. Add 6 Tbsp sugar and 1 Tbsp melted butter and mix till combined.
2. In a separate bowl, stir a pinch each of salt and cardamom into 3 cups flour.
3. Add the flour to the egg mixture a little at a time, beating constantly. Dough should be leathery but not crumbly and not all the flour has to mix in perfectly.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured board or parchment paper and roll out thinly with a rolling pin to 1/2 mm thick. 
5. Cut into elongated diamonds about 5-8 cm across (2-3 inches).
6. Make a 2.5 cm (1-inch) slit in the centre of each diamond.
7. Fold back the long ends through the slit and pinch firmly.
8. Heat 2-3 inches (5 to 8 cm) of vegetable oil in a deep, heavy-duty frying pan. When the oil reaches 190 degrees C (370 F) start deep-frying about 6 at a time, don't overcrowd them in the pan. Fry until golden, turning once with tongs.
9. Remove from oil with tongs and place on paper towels to absorb any excess oil and cool.
10. When cooled, dust with icing (powdered) sugar.

Beignets

A recipe from New Orleans. Beignets are a traditional Mardi Gras treat (eat them instead of pancakes on the Tuesday before the beginning of Lent.)

• 1 package or 2-1/4 tsp traditional dry yeast
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1-1/4 cups homogenized milk
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbsp butter,  melted
• canola or vegetable oil for deep-frying
• 1 cup icing (powdered) sugar

1. Dissolve the yeast in 4 Tbsp warm water, set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine: flour, salt, sugar. Mix well.
3. Fold in: the dissolved yeast, milk, eggs, melted butter.
4. Mix until a smooth dough is formed.
5. Knead the dough by hand on a floured board until smooth and elastic.
6. Cover dough with a towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
7. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick on a well-floured surface.
8. Cut into rectangular shapes about 2 x 3 inches.
9. Put rectangles in a lightly floured jelly roll tin, cover with a towel.
10. Let rise in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size.
11. Put the powdered sugar in a deep dish or oven tin.
12. Heat the oil for deep-frying in a pot.
13. The oil must be at the right temperature to cook the dough right through to the middle before the outside is too dark brown.
14. Fry the first beignet or two as a test. Break them open. If they are still sticky in the middle, lower the heat and allow the oil to cool down a bit before continuing with the next batch.
15. Fry the beignets in batches, turning each with tongs, until golden brown on both sides.
16. Drain well on paper towels.
17. As each batch of beignets drains, transfer with a slotted spoon to the sugar and shake them about to coat liberally all around.
18. Eat soon after cooking, and eat them all on the day they are made.

Beignets

According to Chef John Folse of Lafitte's Landing restaurant in New Orleans, Ursuline nuns first brought the recipe for beignets from France to Louisiana in 1727. Others say the Acadians brought the recipe to North America, but they're not recorded as arriving in Louisiana till 1764.

This is Chef Folse's version of  the Ursuline nun's recipe, from a magazine clipping I had in a box, with some additions to the directions, particularly regarding temperature.

The recipe said to use "oil for deep frying." In the south, beignets were cooked in cottonseed oil. Vegetable oil or canola oil can be used.

A sugary beignet...c'est parfait avec un cafe au lait. Eat as soon as possible after cooking...always finish them on the same day you make them. Ce n'est pas difficile if you invite some friends over.

• 1 pkg dried yeast or 2-1/4 tsp.
• a pinch of sugar in 4 Tbsp water at 105-155 degrees F.
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1-1/4 cups milk
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• oil for frying (canola oil or cottonseed oil)
• 1 cup icing sugar

1. Dissolve yeast in 4 Tbsp warm (105 to 115 degrees F) water mixed with a pinch of sugar. Set aside about 10 minutes. If yeast does not get foamy, get new yeast and start again.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar. Mix well.
3. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture.
4. Into the well, pour in the dissolved yeast, milk, eggs and melted butter.
5. Stir with a wooden spoon just until a sticky dough is formed. Over-mixing will give you a tough dough. Dough should be very soft, like drop biscuit dough.
6. On a floured surface, with floured hands, knead dough until smooth and elastic.
7. Cover with a towel and leave to rise in a warm place 1 hour.
8. On a well-floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick.
9. Cut into 2 x 3 inch rectangles and put them on a lighty floured jelly roll pan (baking sheet). Don't re-roll the scraps as they will be tough. Let the scraps rise covered on the pan as they are. Do not discard the scraps, fry them after the beignets are done.
10. Cover with a towel and leave to rise again in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size.
11. Put the confectioners (icing) sugar into a deep dish.
12. Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or deep iron pan to 370-375 degrees F. The perfect temperature will depend on the oil you are using and the pot you are using, so this may take some experimentation. The oil must be the right temperature to cook the dough right through to the middle before the outside is too dark brown. The temperature drops when you add the dough to the oil so for best results cook only a few at a time or for perfect results, one at a time. Start with the oil at 375 degrees F. Break open the 1st two after draining and if they are golden brown on the outside but still sticky in the middle, lower the heat to 350, allowing the oil to cool down a bit before continuing with the next batch.
13. Fry the beignets singly or in batches of 2-3, turning each, until golden brown on both sides.
14. Remove from the oil with a slotted metal spoon or a spider (long-handled wire drainer) and place on a plate covered with paper towels so that oil will drain off and beignets will cool before transferring to the dish of confectioner's sugar.
15. Shake beignets about to coat liberally with sugar.
16. Serve with additional powdered sugar in a sugar sprinkler.

Beignets Du Carnaval

French women were living in what is now Canada in the 1600s, so it's likely they were frying doughnuts in Canada for Shrove Tuesday even before the Ursuline nuns arrived in Louisiana.

By the early 1700s rum was being imported from the Antilles. This recipe from Quebec City (using dry yeast instead of the fresh yeast used originally) uses rum as a flavoring and the dough is cold-risen, so it should be refrigerated 8 hours or overnight.

• 1/2 Tablespoon dried yeast
• Pinch of sugar
• 3 Tablespoons lukewarm milk
• 4 cups flour
• lemon zest (grated rind of 1 lemon)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 2 Tablespoons rum OR 1 tsp vanilla mixed in 5 tsp milk
• Grated rind of a lemon
• Granulated White Sugar

1. Mix a pinch of sugar into the warm milk and then stir in the dried yeast.
2. Let yeast proof 5-10 minutes until yeast is foamy.
3. In a mixer bowl, stir lemon zest into 1/3 cup sugar. Mix in 4 cups flour.
4. Make a well in the centre and add 1/2 cup softened butter, 4 beaten eggs, rum OR vanilla + milk, yeast mixture.
5. Knead with well-floured hands on a well-floured surface, slapping dough as if kneading brioche. Or if your stand mixer has the capacity, use the kneading hook and knead dough. Knead only  until dough is smooth and no longer sticky.
6. Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
7. Turn cold dough onto a floured board.
8. Roll out into a rectangle.
9. Cut dough into strips about 3/4 inch wide by 8" long.
10. Tie each strip of dough into a loose knot.
11. Place on parchment paper, cover, let rise 20 - 45 minutes in a warm place.
12. Fry 3 knots at a time in oil heated to 375 degrees F about 7-8 minutes or until golden.
13. Drain on paper towels, then roll in sugar.

Basic Doughnut Dough

All ingredients should be at room temperature. 

• 1-1/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3-1/2 cups white all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp instant dry yeast
• vegetable oil for frying
• powdered icing sugar 

1. Beat together egg, milk, shortening, sugar.
2. In separate bowl mix salt, flour, dry yeast.
3. With dough hook attached if using mixer, add liquid to the dry mixture, combine.
4. Knead dough just until smooth.
5. Roll dough 1/2 inch thick.
6. Cut into circles with 2-1/2 inch donut cutter.
7. Cover donuts and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled.
8. Deep fry donuts in oil heated to 375 degrees F, till brown on both sides.
9. Drain on paper towels.
10. Glaze (mix powdered sugar with a little milk) or dust with powdered sugar.

Spurgytes

Use homemade dry cottage cheese or buy pressed cottage cheese (comes in a package) to make these small Lithuanian donuts that look a little like Timbits. They are soft inside and crunchy outside, and are made without yeast. In Lithuania donuts are often fried in rapeseed oil,  in Canada use canola or vegetable oil.

• 600 grams dry cottage cheese
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 10 Tbsp flour
• 6 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• oil for frying (about 1L)
• powdered (icing) sugar or cinnamon sugar 

1. With a spoon, whip the cheese and sugar together.
2. Add beaten eggs. Stir well.
3. Mix flour with baking powder and add to mixture.
4. Heat the oil in a deep pot. Oil should be hot but not smoking. A little bit of dough dropped into the pot should set the oil bubbling.
5. Using a wet spoon, break off enough dough to form a small donut ball.
6. Using the spoon and dampened fingers, form the dough into a ball shape and drop into the hot oil.
7. When it fries golden and bobs up to the surface, remove from the pot with a long-handled strainer, tongs or slotted spoon.
8. Test the first donut: if it is golden-crisp outside but uncooked in the centre, decrease the heat so that the donuts don't cook too quickly on the outside before the inside dough has cooked.
9. When you think the oil is at the perfect temperature, you can drop in 4 at a time and turn them with the spoon as they cook so that they fry evenly.
10. Place cooked donuts to drain on paper towel.
11. Roll in or sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or wait until cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Spurgytes (smaller quantity)

In this recipe a piece of raw potato is fried at the same time as the donuts to keep the donuts from absorbing too much oil.

• 180 g dry cottage cheese
• 1 large egg
• 100 g flour
• 50 g sugar
• dash of salt
• 15 g vanilla sugar
• 3 g baking soda
• 5 g vinegar
• 1 L oil for frying
• slice of potato

1. In mixer, beat egg, sugar, salt and vanilla sugar.
2. Add cottage cheese, beat again.
3. Weigh flour.
4. Mix baking soda with vinegar and mix in the dough.
5. Immediately add the flour and mix.
6. Allow dough to rest 20 minutes.
7. Heat the oil.
8. Grease hands and form dough into walnut-sized balls.
9. Drop dough balls into the oil and deep-fry.
10. Drop a slice of peeled raw potato into the oil to keep the donuts from absorbing too much oil.
11. When donuts are golden-brown, remove from the oil, place on paper towel.
12. When cool, sprinkle with icing sugar.

Spurgos 

These are larger Lithuanian yeast donuts made with raisins or pieces of apple in the dough. In North America, these would be called apple fritters.

Adding rum or brandy to the dough apparently helps the dough to not absorb as much oil when frying. If you don't want to use the liquor, substitute apple juice or milk.

• 1-1/4 cups scalded milk
• 3 Tbsp softened butter
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 pkg traditional dry yeast (2-1/4 tsp)
• 1/4 cup water 100-110 degrees F.
• 2 large beaten eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 Tbsp rum or brandy
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup raisins OR 1 peeled, chopped apple
• oil for deep frying
• powdered sugar or granulated sugar

1. In large stand mixer bowl, pour scalded milk over butter, sugar and salt.
2. With paddle attachment, mix until butter is completely melted.
3. Let cool to 110 degrees or lower.
4. In a separate small bowl, dissolve yeast in lukewarm water (under 100 degrees).
5. Let yeast sit until foamy.
6. Add yeast mixture, eggs, vanilla and rum to cooled butter-sugar mixture.
7. Mix well to combine.
8. Attach dough hook to mixer.
9. Add flour until a smooth but still sticky dough forms.
10. Mix in raisins or apple pieces.
11. Transfer dough to a greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap.
12. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
13. Heat oil in a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pot to 375 degrees F.
14. Punch down dough.
15. Drop large tablespoonsful of dough into the hot oil.
16. Fry, turning only once, until golden brown.
17. Drain on paper towel.
18. While still warm, roll in granulated sugar OR wait until cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Jam-filled Spurgos

Lithuanian yeast donuts. Makes about 14 larger donuts.  

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 2 pkgs (8 grams each) traditional dry yeast (4-1/2 tsp)
• 1/2 cup warm water, 105-115 degrees F.
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• jam
• egg white, beaten

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes or until foamy.
2. Add milk, butter and beaten eggs to yeast mixture.
3. Combine flour, sugar and salt, stir well.
4. Gradually stir flour mixture into yeast mixture until a soft dough forms.
5. Turn dough into a well-greased bowl.
6. Cover and set in a warm place to rise until doubled.
7. Punch down dough, turn out onto a lightly-floured board.
8. Knead with floured hands until smooth.
9. With a rolling pin, roll half the dough until 1/4 inch thick.
10. With a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, cut out 3-inch rounds.
11. Place a teaspoon of jam in the centre of each round.
12. Brush the edge with lightly beaten egg white.
13. Top with another round.
14. Press edges together to seal.
15. Repeat with remaining dough.
16. Cover jam-filled donuts with a dishcloth.
17. Allow to rise in warm place until doubled.
18. Heat 2" of oil in a pot of deep fryer to 350 degrees F.
19. Drop donuts into hot oil and fry, turning gently, until golden brown (about 4 minutes.)
20. Lift out and place on paper towels to drain.

Beaver Tails

Beaver Tails are Canadian yeast donuts made in the shape of a beaver's tail. You can buy them from a stand in the Byward Market in Ottawa, or get them when you go skating on the Rideau Canal in the winter, or make them at home and skip the line-up.

• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 8g pkg or 2-1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup milk, warmed
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 L vegetable oil for deep-frying
• Topping: 1 cup sugar + 1 Tbsp cinnamon OR fresh lemon juice + sugar + toasted almonds OR maple sugar  OR maple syrup + toasted hazelnuts or walnuts  OR homemade jam OR Nutella

1. In stand mixer bowl with paddle attachment combine: warm water, warm milk, yeast, 1 tsp. sugar.
2. Let stand 10 minutes until foamy.
3. Add melted butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and eggs.
4. Combine well.
5. Attach dough hook, add flour, mix until dough comes together and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
6. Knead 6 minutes (10 minutes by hand) until dough is smooth and silky.
7. If dough seems too sticky, add a little more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
8. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel.
9. Leave to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
10. Punch down dough.
11. On a lightly floured countertop, shape into 8 equal pieces.
12. With rolling pin, roll each piece into an oval shape.
13. Score a crisscross pattern in the top of dough to make it look like a cartoon beaver's tail.
14. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet.
15. Cover and leave to rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
16. Mix cinnamon sugar in a bowl and have ready nearby.
17. In a large, wide pot, heat 2 inches of oil to 350 degrees F.
18. If dough is hot enough, a small piece of dough dropped in the oil should sizzle and rise to the surface.
19. Oil should not smoke or crackle, if too hot, take pot off heat and let sit until temperature reduces.
20. Fry doughnuts, turning once, 30 to 60 seconds per side.
21. Remove when golden brown.
22. Dip immediately into bowl of topping. 
23. Eat while still warm.