Fry

Homemade Fried Dough

by:
December 16, 2021
3
2 Ratings
Homemade Fried Dough
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 15 minutes
  • Makes 8 pieces
Author Notes

When I was scheming up my favorite recipe for fried dough, I knew I wanted it to be a bit more substantial, not something that evaporated once it hit my belly, but something that could take me through to lunch or even an early dinner. My favorite version is solid and flat, a canvas for whatever topping tempts me. I prefer piling on some freshly made ricotta cheese and maple syrup or honey. But powdered sugar works just as well. It’s not exactly like the fried dough from my Italian childhood—I don’t believe my parents used Italian sparkling water in the batter—but it’s enough of a throwback to make me smile.

The photos for this recipe were taken by Jill Chen for eatboutique.com. —eatboutique

Test Kitchen Notes

I am a sucker for fried dough. Eatboutique's recipe for homemade fried dough is so simple to prepare. The dough is soft and supple and rolls out beautifully (you have to use a considerable amount of flour as the dough is a bit sticky). The addition of warm soda water (I used seltzer) worked with the baking soda to give a slight rise when it was introduced to the hot oil. Using soda water also results in a crunchier texture when fried. The recipe didn't specify whether or not to use cold butter—I did and they turned out perfectly. The rest of the ingredients, such as flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg, are easy to come by, and you may have everything to go already. There's also no fancy equipment required, so you'll find yourself making this recipe whenever the craving for homemade dough strikes.

Be sure to roll very thin in order to get that lovely crispness. The finished product was crunchy and satisfying and delicious, the perfect vehicle for any topping you might want to add. If your dough is thin enough, you can roll up your fillings for a delightful snack or treat. I chose to use powdered sugar but they would be equally delicious with jam or maple syrup. They would also be fabulous topped with cheese or vegetables. This recipe makes eight pieces, but you can easily double the ingredients if you want to serve this fried dough to a crowd (and who wouldn't!). —sdebrango

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Homemade Fried Dough
Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 1 cup sparkling water, preferably Italian
  • Vegetable oil, for frying
Directions
  1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Using your hands, work the butter into dry ingredients until no large chunks remain; the mixture will look like small breadcrumbs.
  2. In a small pot over medium heat, warm the sparkling water for 1 minute (or heat for 20 to 30 seconds in a microwave). Add the warmed sparkling water to the flour mixture and form into a loose dough. Cover with a towel and let sit for 15 minutes.
  3. Cut the dough into 8 even pieces. On a work surface, roll each piece out until very thin.
  4. In a large frying pan with tallish sides, pour in enough oil to go about one-quarter up the sides. Heat over medium heat. When a drop of water sizzles in the oil, it's ready. Fry one piece of dough at a time for 1 to 2 minutes, until golden. Turn and fry for 1 minute more, until golden. Transfer to paper towels and repeat with the remaining dough.
  5. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 150°F oven. Top with your toppings of choice.
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  • Panfusine
    Panfusine
  • hardlikearmour
    hardlikearmour
  • eatboutique
    eatboutique
  • TheWimpyVegetarian
    TheWimpyVegetarian
  • Kitchen Butterfly
    Kitchen Butterfly
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15 Reviews

Doobix
Doobix June 4, 2020
Whoever said that this was a good recipe doesn’t know their butt from a hole in the ground. I’m trying to be clean here but when you’re in the mood for some thing and all it does is crumble and turn to crap in the pan and then you wasted products...so mad. Scew you whoever wrote this recipe you’re wrong and you can take it and shove it
 
Heineko
Heineko September 2, 2012
Just an FYI - Dropping a piece of bread is a lot less likely to set your kitchen on fire than playing with water to test hot oil.

Sincerely,
Person with freshly burned roommate.
 
Minnesotapix
Minnesotapix June 27, 2011
Growing up in North Dakota, my mom would make these from extra bread dough - she called them "grease jaggers" and I loved them, sprinkled with sugar right out of the fryer!
 
eatboutique
eatboutique June 28, 2011
Yum!
 
Panfusine
Panfusine June 7, 2011
we knew this as poories or bhaturae in India.. as a kid, it was simply served sprinkled with sugar & rolled up!
 
eatboutique
eatboutique June 7, 2011
These are pretty hard to roll up, but I'm gonna try next time. ;)
 
Panfusine
Panfusine June 7, 2011
well poories are rolled out thin, a little different, but all in the fried dough family!!
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour June 7, 2011
My grandma would always make extra dinner roll dough, then fry us pieces for breakfast and sprinkle them with sugar. She called it bucken (no idea the spelling,) and we loved it! Your version sounds really good, love the nutmeg addition and am intrigued by the sparkling water.
 
eatboutique
eatboutique June 7, 2011
Oh my, that sounds delicious. I love how every culture has a version of this dough.
 
eatboutique
eatboutique June 6, 2011
Hey there, good question! I tried it all different ways - all different flours and waters. I tried the sparkling water just b/c I thought it was lovely notion to use Pellegrino or Perrier in my dough. But I found that the sparkling water made them crisper on the outside and I really liked that about it. I'd love to see what you notice. :)
 
Panfusine
Panfusine June 7, 2011
yep, itadds that tiny hint of a crunch to batter. I adapted that technique using seltzer for my vada pao dish as well!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian June 7, 2011
Really good to know! I'm definitely trying this. I love how I continue to learn tips in this amazing community!!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian June 6, 2011
This looks great! And I love the photo. One question - why sparkling water instead of tap? Does the sparkling water help the dough expand?
 
Kitchen B.
Kitchen B. June 7, 2011
ChezSuzanne, sparkling water results in a crunchier texture when fried. A lot of fish batter recipes call for sparkling water. Its something to do with the added aeration the bubbles in the water provide, and in this case...interacting with the baking soda makes a more pronounced effect! My 2 cents of science
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian June 7, 2011
Thanks so much KB! I did not realize this - and am going to try using sparking water next time I make my Ecuadoran Empanadas since they're fried. And I'll keep this in mind when I've got a recipe with baking soda in the mix.