Greek Doughnuts (Loukoumades)

• A Greek donut recipe with honey and cinnamon. Loukoumades is the Greek version of dough.

Ingredients

flour	2 ½ cups
sugar	1 teaspoon
active dry yeast	1 ¼ tablespoon
lukewarm water	1 ½ cups
greek honey	1 teaspoon
salt	½ teaspoon
ouzo	½ teaspoon

For the syrup

sugar	2 cups
water	1 cup
lemon	½
cinnamon stick	1
cloves	2-3
greek honey	2 cups
powdered sugar	to sprinkle
powdered cinnamon	to sprinkle

How to cook

In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water then cover the bowl with a cloth and let it stand for 10 minutes in a warm area to allow the yeast to rise.
Then gently add the flour, sugar, salt, honey and ouzo to the mixing bowl and mix well.  Add the remaining lukewarm water while continually mixing. The resulting batter should end up as soft and sticky dough, soft enough to be able to drop from a spoon.  If it’s too thick, add a little more water.
Cover the mixing bowl with a cloth and place in a warm spot to rise for approximately 1 hour or until it has doubled in bulk and has bubbles forming on the surface.
When the dough has risen, heat oil in a deep pan/fryer and prepare to fry the loukoumades in batches. Add enough oil (mix of extra virgin olive oil and vegetable oil) to fill at least half the deep fryer. You will need a teaspoon and a cup with a little extra virgin olive oil for this part. Dipping the teaspoon into the cup with the oil and then into the batter this will ensure that it does not stick to the spoon. 
Drop teaspoonfuls of the batter directly into the hot oil. Fry each batch of dough balls until they puff up and have a golden brown colour. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and set them on a lined platter with a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Quickly dip the loukoumades in to the syrup and place on a serving platter.  Optional: drizzle a little more Greek honey on top. Dust cinnamon and finely chopped walnuts. Serve immediately.

Apple Loukoumades: Greek style apple doughnuts

​Makes about 20

For the starter:
½ cup lukewarm water
½ cup lukewarm milk
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup corn starch
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1-quart Vegetable oil for frying
4 cups confectioners’ sugar plus 1-2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

Combine the starter ingredients in a mixing bowl. Set aside for about 10 minutes until yeast is activated. Once a puffy cloud appears over the liquid, the yeast is active.

Combine the flour, sugar, corn starch, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine the ingredients.

Pour the flour mixture into the yeast mixture and whisk until the batter is smooth and all of the lumps disappear. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
Cover the bowl and allow to rest and rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
Add the chopped apples to the batter.

Heat the oil to 375 °F.
Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil and fry until golden on all sides for about 3-5 minutes. A mini ice cream scoop is great for this step.

Transfer the loukoumades onto a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Combine the confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Toss the apple loukoumades in the cinnamon sugar while still warm and serve immediately. 

 

Λουκουμαδες