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Fried Dough That Doesn’t Need a Deep Fryer

Written by Danielle Oteri

“I’m just going to fry some dough and put lots of sugar on it and eat it and hope.”

Best Facebook status update I’ve read in a long time, courtesy of a dear friend in the midst of grading Art History 101 term papers at the community college where she is a professor. Despair has set in.

It got me thinking about street fair funnel cakes, San Gennaro zeppole, and even the Ye Olde Fried Dough stand at Fort Tryon Park’s Medieval Festival.

fried dough with powdered sugar
Photo: Casey Barber

There’s something so giddily exciting about the greasy goodness of fried dough, perhaps because it’s so fleeting. As soon as it cools, you’re left wondering what you were thinking.

Much like the empanada-dumpling-pierogi-ravioli-samosa instinct to pack good food into pastry, fried dough is found in nearly every cuisine, almost always as some form of comfort food.

stack of fried dough rounds
Photo: Casey Barber

First, there’s the doughnut, which, when made traditionally, is nothing more than a circle of fried dough. Take it down to New Orleans, dust it with powdered sugar, and you’ve got a beignet.

In Sicily, vendors on the streets of Palermo will fry a ball of dough, slice it in half, and then stuff gelato in it.

Or wait for the Feast of Saint Joseph and eat zeppole stuffed with ricotta custard.

Christmas in Naples wouldn’t be the same without strufoli: fried balls of dough the size of your thumb and then drizzled in honey.

Churros are basically just fried dough, squeezed through a pastry tube and then dusted in cinnamon after emerging from their deep-fried bath.

fried dough with powdered sugar
Photo: Casey Barber

Now that it’s summer, there will surely be that woman and her kids selling churros out of a grocery cart on the 42nd Street subway platform!

Poori makes a dramatic entrance when it’s brought to your table to accompany your chana masala just before it’s pierced with a fork, deflated, and then ripped into by everyone in grabbing distance.

It’s also savory in Turkey where you would crumble feta cheese into it before frying, and a proper English breakfast would be incomplete without a piece of bread fried in bacon drippings.

fried dough with powdered sugar

But all these musings aside, I’m still left with the craving for that simple mound of fried dough found at street fairs, minus the overused vat of peanut oil.

With the following recipe from the good people at King Arthur Flour, there’s no reason that I, or my haggard professor friend, can’t make it at home with nothing more than a pan on the stovetop.

fried dough with powdered sugar

Fried Dough

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Fried dough is so simple but so tasty that it's found in nearly all cultures worldwide. Here's a quick recipe that doesn't need a deep fryer.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and well chilled
  • 1/2-3/4 cup warm water
  • vegetable oil
  • confectioner's sugar

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
  2. Using your fingers, incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients until the flour is the texture of moist cornmeal. (It feels good when it's hot outside.)
  3. Add the water, starting with 1/2 cup and then drizzling in additional water a tablespoon at a time, until a soft dough forms.
  4. Cover the bowl with a plate or towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.
  5. On a floured work surface, divide the dough into 8 pieces and cover with a damp towel.
  6. Flatten each piece into a thin (1/8-1/4 inch) round with your hands or a rolling pin.
  7. Fill a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan with about 2 inches vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees F.
  8. Carefully place one dough round at a time in the hot oil and fry for 45 to 60 seconds per side or until puffy and golden.
  9. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and dust with confectioner's sugar, if desired, before serving.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 213Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 257mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 3g

The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate.

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15 Comments

  1. Whoever invented fried dough should have a national statue somewhere. I fondly remember making donuts as a kid, but haven’t fried anything in years. Everything in moderation, right? Yeah, that’s the ticket.

  2. Hey! This is the recipe for Fry Bread–Navajo staple (and made by other tribes as well. Top with honey or powdered sugar or make a Navajo taco by piling it with all the taco fixin’s.
    Honestly, when there’s a fair or pow-wow or ANYTHING going on in the Southwest, the most popular booth is the Fry Bread booth.
    Only problem is my family eats ’em faster than I can make ’em.

  3. I made this last night, and it was uh-MAY-zing. I modified it slightly; rather than have straight fried dough, I had some leftover ravioli in the fridge that I stuffed it with, so we had fried dough pasta pockets for dinner. The dough was quick to put together, and didn’t taste greasy at all (although I fried it in as little oil as I could). I use canola oil and fried them for 2 minutes a side. Some leftover pasta sauce or tomato soup makes the best for dipping. Talk about gourmet leftovers!! Thanks for sharing this recipe; it is most def a keeper.

  4. My grandma was Russian/ German. She made dough gods as she called them. She made regular bread and then she would make dough gods . She added more sugar to her bread mix. Let it raise a short time and then made paddys and fried them . We put butter, butter and salt, sugar, surp, peanutbutter or jelly. You can put any topping on them. She made them to go with bean or stews or for snacks. I made them for my son growing up and now j make the foe the great nephew and niece.

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