This savory fried donut recipe was served for the Malinda Russell inspired Family Meal. It’s based on her fried cruller recipe.
You’re in the most fragrant section of the store, the bakery. On your right, in a bow-topped box, a bulbous loaf of sourdough. Next to it are lanky, but muscular baguettes in their athletic fit bags.
On your left, is the lavash and the whole wheat pita bread. This is the section for humble and pious bread, the bread with whole grains and fibrous stalks added to exfoliate your insides. You are purified as it scratches its way down your throat.
In front of you is an uneven, stick-shaped bun. You don’t know the name of it. You’ve never seen it before. It’s kinda wrinkly looking. One side is bigger than the other. But it looks crispy and fresh.
What do you do? Are you going to try this crazy-looking loaf stick thing? It’s hard to know what to make of its misshapenness. You approach cautiously because you aren’t sure what this is yet. But then you think quirky can be fun.
You bite down. Oh, it’s crunchy alright. And it’s puffy on the inside. It’s a bit like a pretzel. What this bread lacks in shape it more than makes up for in flavor. And those little squirts of fried dough coming off the side are the crispiest parts.
This weird little stick of bread is one of the most delightful things you’ve had in a while. It’s a golden nugget of crispy goodness. Who needs a bow on a box? You want something that tastes good. And this is it!
This fried cruller recipe gets rise from water, which creates steam when it hits the hot oil. It also has acid and soda, which make the bread fluff up from CO2 bubbles. No yeast here. We’re using simple technology to make delicious bread. Here’s how to make it.
Savory Fried Dount
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 3/4 cup yogurt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 whole large egg
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Heat oil to 350 degrees. Any neutral high smoke point oil will do.
- Dump all of the dry ingredients into a bowl except lemon juice
- Combine to form a soft dough
- Cover dough with plastic wrap and rest for ten minutes
- Take the dough out of the bowl and pour the lemon juice over it. As fast as you can, work the lemon juice into the dough.
- Flatten the dough to 1/2 inch and cut ¼ inch strands.
- Fry the strands in batches.
- Drain them on paper towel and serve as soon as they’re cool enough to handle.
Nutrition Facts
Savory Fried Dount
Serves: 14 people
| Amount Per Serving: 1 donut | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 126.74 kcal | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 2.71 g | 4.2% | |
| Saturated Fat 1.48 g | 7.4% | |
| Trans Fat 0.07 g | ||
| Cholesterol 20.35 mg | 6.8% | |
| Sodium 55.91 mg | 2.3% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 21.47 g | 7.2% | |
| Dietary Fiber 0.84 g | 3.4% | |
| Sugars 0.8 g | ||
| Protein 3.77 g | ||
| Vitamin A 2.62 % | Vitamin C 2.51 % | |
| Calcium 2.39 % | Iron 2.29 % | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Recipe Notes
I used kefir for this recipe. But the ingredients call for yogurt because that’s more common and will work just fine.
The dough will be really wet when you cut it. It will be hard to shape into a regular shape. Don’t worry about that. Let the weird edges create little crispy edges when fried that your eaters will love.
You can pair this recipe with several sauces like this Remoulade, or yogurt dip. It would also be tasty dipped into a rich soup or even a light one.
If you need to make these ahead of time, freeze them. When you need them, thaw and put in the oven on the warm setting for 15 minutes. This will crisp them back up. You can keep them in the fridge, but they won’t be as crispy.
For the wine pairing dinner, it was paired with a trio of seasoned salts.
Wine Pairing with a Fried Donut
Fried and crispy things are great with sparkling wines. You can pick almost any dry sparkling white wine to pair with this recipe. But, why not think outside the box.
These crullers are like a cross between a pretzel, a buttermilk old-fashioned donut and a Youtiao. So, the range of wines you can pair with this dish are vast.
For the wine pairing dinner we paired this wine with two sparkling sake. One was very crisp and slightly floral.
- Hanagoi Sparkling Junmai Ginjo Sake
- Hakutsuru Awa Yuki Sparkling Sake
If you can’t find sparkling saké, here are a few other options you might enjoy.
Gloria Ferrer Brut Rosé U.V.
It has brilliant salmon pink color with an effusive pinpoint mousse the rosé exudes aromas of fresh ripe strawberries rose petals and citrus blossoms along with white peach and bread dough nuances.
Coeur Clémentine La Pétillante Brut Rosé U.V.
Delicate and layered aromas of fresh berries and spring flowers.
J Vineyards Brut N.V.
Features fresh floral aromas mixed with soft notes of ripe pear baked apples and Meyer lemon. Beautifully concentrated fruit and five years of aging contribute to the depth of the mouth feel and its creamy mousse. Flavors of nectarine lime rind lemon and a kiss of minerality dominate the palate leading to a clean finish. The balanced acidity keeps it fresh while allowing a well-integrated structure to shine through.
Do you want a more personalized wine recommendation? Use Winosity’s wine recommendation engine and wine journal app to find a wine that suits you.