Though it has its origins in North America, fried dough recipe, is immensely popular all over the world today. It is quite easy to make this recipe, and it is extremely tasty. It is known by different names in different places. Sometimes, the way the fried bread is cut, or the method it is prepared decides its name.
Fry dough, fry bread, elephant ears, doughboys, fried bread, etc., are some names given to fried dough. In some places, fried dough is also known as touton, langos, kiachi, oliebol, etc.
Fried Dough Recipe Origin
The origin of this dish dates back to the early 19th century when the Navajo tribal people had first made it. Though the basic preparations remain the same in almost all the places, some restaurants use unique regional variations to make their fried dough stand out from the other versions. Usually, this recipe is found in most of the stalls during country fairs, carnivals, etc.
The best part of fried dough is making it in any shape you want and cutting it in the design you want. You can use any topping of your choice for this dough.
While some people prefer a generous dollop of butter on top, some like the sweetened version of the fried dough better. In that case, they can use maple syrup or powdered sugar as toppings. So, as you can see, it is a very simple recipe that can be personalized as per your tastes and preferences.
You can make any shape you like with this fried dough recipe!
Some tips for Fried Dough Recipe
- After frying the dough, you can also make a sugar syrup by heating water and sugar in a pan. When the sugar has dissolved completely, keep heating the mixture on a low flame, until it turns slightly thick. At this stage, gently drop the fried dough pieces into the syrup and cook for a minute before switching off. Kids and adults will enjoy these sugar syrup-coated fried dough pieces very much.
- If you have added salted butter to the all-purpose flour when making the dough, you can cut down on the salt that you add. Ensure that the butter must be cold and soft when you are adding it to the dough. You can skip the butter and add margarine as well to make the dough. This will not alter the taste of the fried dough.
- Always use lukewarm water only when preparing the dough. This will ensure that you get a soft dough, eventually. Also, while adding water, please remember to add little by little, so that the mixture doesn’t become too watery.
- When rolling the dough, ensure that you roll them very thin. This way, you can fry them evenly, without any problems. When the dough rolls are very thick, they take a long time to fry. The outer sides of the rolls turn dark brown, whereas the insides remain chewy. This can affect the taste of the final dish.
- When using dry toppings (such as granulated sugar, icing sugar, etc.) allow the fried dough rolls to cool down well before you coat them. This will ensure that the slices remain crisp for a longer time.
- You can prepare the dough beforehand, and make the snack in a jiffy when guests arrive at a place. This dough stays good in the refrigerator for about 4 to 5 days. The only thing you should remember is that the dough should be at room temperature when you are about to fry the rolls. It is best to enjoy these rolls on the same day they are made to relish their freshness and crispiness.
- If you haven’t made the dough beforehand, but still want to make this recipe within minutes, you can also use store-bought pizza dough for this recipe.
Let us see how to make fried dough easily at home in the following sections.
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How to Make the Best Fried Dough
It takes about an hour to make this recipe, and the following ingredients are good enough for about 8 servings.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – 2 cups
- Baking Powder – 2 teaspoons
- Salt –¾ teaspoon
- Unsalted butter – 2 tablespoons
- Water – ¾ cup (preferably lukewarm)
- Oil – 2 cups
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add butter to this mixture and blend the contents well. It would be great if you could use a blender for this step.
- Now, add the lukewarm water little by little into the bowl and mix all the contents to form a smooth dough. Cover the bowl, and leave the dough to get set well for about 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, open the lid, and cut the soft dough into 8 pieces. Take one piece and make a thin roll from it. Repeat the step for the other 8 pieces.
- Now, your dough is ready, and you should prepare the oil for frying the dough. In a heavy-bottomed pan, pour about 2 cups of oil and heat it on medium-high flame. Once the oil is heated well, check the temperature by dropping a small piece of dough in the oil. If the dough leaves bubbles and rises to the top of the surface, the oil is hot enough for you to fry the dough. Alternatively, you can also use a thermometer to check if the oil has become hot enough for frying. The oil is ready to be used when it reaches a temperature of 375 degrees F.
- Now, drop the dough rolls that you have made into the oil, one by one. Let one side of the roll puff up well and rise to the top, before you flip it over and cook the other side as well. Take the roll once both sides have turned light brown. Repeat this step for the other discs as well.
- Place the fried rolls on a paper towel to drain out the oil from them.
- Fried dough rolls are now ready. It is now time for you to personalize it as you want. You can use granulated sugar, salted butter, maple syrup, cider syrup, cinnamon sugar and any other topping of your choice over these fried dough discs, and enjoy them instantly.
