Sopapillas with cinnamon sugar and honey
Sopapillas are light, puffed pieces of fried dough, particularly well known in New Mexico and the south-western United States. These sopapillas with cinnamon sugar and honey are made from a simple dough without yeast. They have no filling: the dough puffs up as it fries, leaving a mostly hollow centre beneath a golden, lightly crisp crust. They are best eaten warm, as a dessert or with a cup of coffee. Serve the honey separately so everyone can add as much or as little as they like.
Servings people
Ingredients
Dough
- 120 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp salt (fine)
- 15 g butter (unsalted)
- 90 ml water
For frying
- sunflower oil (enough for a depth of about 4 cm)
To finish
- 25 g granulated sugar (fine)
- 0.5 tsp cinnamon powder
- 30 g honey
Instructions
Preparation
- Stir 25 g granulated sugar and 0.5 tsp cinnamon powder together in a shallow dish. Set 30 g honey aside for serving.
- Put 120 g plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 0.5 tsp salt in a bowl and mix together. Cut 15 g butter into small pieces and mix it thoroughly into the flour.
- Warm 90 ml water until lukewarm. Gradually pour it into the flour, holding back the last little bit. Mix everything together, then knead for about 1–2 minutes until the dough is soft and holds together. Add a little of the reserved water if it still feels dry or crumbly. Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
Cooking
- Dust the worktop with a little extra flour and roll the dough out to about 4–5 mm thick. Cut it into eight roughly equal squares or rectangles. Cover them with a clean cloth while you heat the oil.
- Pour sunflower oil into a deep pan to a depth of about 4 cm. Leave plenty of space above the oil and heat over a medium heat. Dip a dry wooden skewer into the oil to check for small bubbles, then test with a small piece of dough. It should rise promptly and fry steadily without turning dark straight away. If using a thermometer, aim for about 185 °C.
- Carefully lower three or four pieces of dough into the oil, leaving room for them to puff up. Turn them regularly and fry for about 3–4 minutes until golden all over. If they colour very quickly, turn the heat down a little.
- Lift the sopapillas out of the pan and drain briefly on kitchen paper. Give the oil a little time to heat up again before frying the next batch.
Serving
- While the sopapillas are still warm, gently turn them in the cinnamon sugar. Shake off any excess and arrange them on a serving plate or divide between individual plates. Serve straight away with the honey on the side.
Notes
You can make the dough a few hours ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Let it return to room temperature before rolling it out.
Nutrition
Calories: 230kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 3gFat: 8.5gSaturated fat: 2.5gCholesterol: 8mgSugars: 12.5g
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