Christmas fried dough (Weihnachts Schmalzgebäck)
Ingredients
MAKES 20
1 litre sunflower oil
250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
75g unsalted butter, melted
40g caster sugar, extra for sprinkling Pinch of fine sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
¾ tsp baking powder
1 tbsp white wine, sherry or me
METHOD
1 Line a large baking tray with kitchen paper.
2 Heat the oil in a large, heavybased saucepan over a high heat to 170C/338F, or until a cube of bread dropped into it starts fizzing on impact and turns golden after a few seconds. Then reduce the heat to medium.
3 Put the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix together with a wooden spoon until it becomes too stiff to mix further, at which point use your hands to bring it together.
4 Knead for a few minutes until a supple but firm dough is formed. 5 Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 3-5mm. Then, using a pastry cutter or a sharp knife, cut out rectangles of 10×4cm. 6 Make a slit in the centre of each rectangle, stopping 1cm shy of the short ends.
7 Carefully lift a piece of dough. Take one of the ends and thread it through the slit, twisting it back into position from underneath. Usually this is done with both ends of the dough but that can be too fiddly, so leave it with one twist. Repeat this process with all the rectangles.
8 Working in batches of 4 or 5 at a time, gently lower the dough into the hot oil and fry for 1-3 minutes until golden all over, turning once to ensure even cooking. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on the lined baking sheet.
9 Once all the dough shapes are fried, generously sprinkle with sugar and serve.