Filhós Fritas
Filhós are a traditional Azorean/Portuguese dessert, a yeast dough that is deep fried and coated with sugar....sooo delicious! They are crunchy and sweet on the outside, and soft and warm in the inside. It is like biting into a sugary cloud! There are many versions and recipes for Filhós, even the name changes, on the island of S.Miguel they are called Malasadas! A few years ago, I asked my Tia (aunt) Eva if she would share her recipe with me. She did, and they are perfect, I make them every year for Carnaval/Mardi Gras, it is one of my favorite family recipes.
1 kilo all purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
salt to taste ( 1/2teaspoon)
1 packet of instant yeast (11g)
2 tablespoon melted butter
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups very warm milk
oil for frying
small dish with oil for stretching dough
sugar for coating
-In a large bowl, mix everything together, YES, mix everything together, use a wooden spoon, or your hands (use a stand mixer if you wish), mix till you have combined everything, you will have a very soft, sticky dough.
-Cover your bowl, with plastic wrap, and then cover the whole bowl with a tea towel or blanket. Keep it draft free, and in a warm place. Let the dough rise, till doubled in size, about 1-1/2 hours. ( may take longer, depending on temp. in your kitchen)
-Once dough has doubled in size, punch down dough, ( it is a sticky dough)
- Pour 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil into a heavy 5- to 6-quart pot that is a few inches deep. I use a large frying pan. Set the pot over medium heat and bring the oil to a temperature of 365˚F.
- Fill a small dish with room temperature oil, this will help with shaping the dough.
- Line a cookie sheet with paper towels, for absorbing the oil, once they are fried.
-I like to use chopsticks for turning the filhós over, but forks work well.
- Get a friend to help ! I have done this by myself many times, but if you have one person shaping the dough, and another frying, it is alot easier !
-To test if oil is ready tear small piece of dough and drop in oil. If dough sinks and then eventually rises, oil is too cold. Oil is ready when dough immediately rises to surface of the oil.
- Ok, ready for frying, oil both hands, remove a golf ball sized piece of dough, and squeeze it in between your hands, flatten it out, use your fingers to then pull and strech the dough, it will be thinner in the middle, and thicker on the outsides.
- Slip the Filhós into the hot oil. Working quickly, repeat the shaping and cooking, frying no more than 4 at a time. Cook about 2 minutes total, turning the filhós once with forks or wooden chopsticks after 1 minute. Or until golden brown on both sides, the center will be pale.
- Remove one by one out of the oil and let the excess oil drip back into the pot. Place on their sides on the paper-lined cookie, so that they stand upright and can drain further. Continue frying the remaining dough, cooking no more than 4 at a time. Once they are done, sprinkle them with sugar, and enjoy !
*** I was only given the recipe ingredients, it is like most portuguese family recipes, where you must use the "force" to put everything together. These are the steps I follow to make them.
***the shape here is not important, after a couple of tries, you will get the hang of it.
*** if you don´t have instant yeast, dissolve yeast in 1/4 of warm water, wait 5 mins. then add to the bowl
1 kilo all purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
salt to taste ( 1/2teaspoon)
1 packet of instant yeast (11g)
2 tablespoon melted butter
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups very warm milk
oil for frying
small dish with oil for stretching dough
sugar for coating
-In a large bowl, mix everything together, YES, mix everything together, use a wooden spoon, or your hands (use a stand mixer if you wish), mix till you have combined everything, you will have a very soft, sticky dough.
-Cover your bowl, with plastic wrap, and then cover the whole bowl with a tea towel or blanket. Keep it draft free, and in a warm place. Let the dough rise, till doubled in size, about 1-1/2 hours. ( may take longer, depending on temp. in your kitchen)
-Once dough has doubled in size, punch down dough, ( it is a sticky dough)
- Pour 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil into a heavy 5- to 6-quart pot that is a few inches deep. I use a large frying pan. Set the pot over medium heat and bring the oil to a temperature of 365˚F.
- Fill a small dish with room temperature oil, this will help with shaping the dough.
- Line a cookie sheet with paper towels, for absorbing the oil, once they are fried.
-I like to use chopsticks for turning the filhós over, but forks work well.
- Get a friend to help ! I have done this by myself many times, but if you have one person shaping the dough, and another frying, it is alot easier !
-To test if oil is ready tear small piece of dough and drop in oil. If dough sinks and then eventually rises, oil is too cold. Oil is ready when dough immediately rises to surface of the oil.
- Ok, ready for frying, oil both hands, remove a golf ball sized piece of dough, and squeeze it in between your hands, flatten it out, use your fingers to then pull and strech the dough, it will be thinner in the middle, and thicker on the outsides.
- Slip the Filhós into the hot oil. Working quickly, repeat the shaping and cooking, frying no more than 4 at a time. Cook about 2 minutes total, turning the filhós once with forks or wooden chopsticks after 1 minute. Or until golden brown on both sides, the center will be pale.
- Remove one by one out of the oil and let the excess oil drip back into the pot. Place on their sides on the paper-lined cookie, so that they stand upright and can drain further. Continue frying the remaining dough, cooking no more than 4 at a time. Once they are done, sprinkle them with sugar, and enjoy !
*** I was only given the recipe ingredients, it is like most portuguese family recipes, where you must use the "force" to put everything together. These are the steps I follow to make them.
***the shape here is not important, after a couple of tries, you will get the hang of it.
*** if you don´t have instant yeast, dissolve yeast in 1/4 of warm water, wait 5 mins. then add to the bowl
OMG, I absolutely love these!
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