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.