Sfingi Recipes

SFINCI (SICILIAN FRIED DOUGH)

Steps:

• In a small sauce pan, warm until lukewarm. Pour 1/2 cup of the water into a small bowl and stir in sugar. Pour the yeast over the water and let stand 10 minutes.
• Pour the remaining 2 cups water in a large bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture. Add the flour and salt and using your hand, stir the mixture vigorously in a circular motion. Continue stirring this way for about 5 minutes until you have a thick, smooth dough.
• Cover well, using blankets if you wish, and place in a warm, draft free location in your kitchen. Let sit for 4 hours. Your unlit oven with the light on is a good option. The dough is ready when bubbles form on the surface and it has at least doubled in size.
• Fill a heavy bottomed sauce pan half way with vegetable oil. Slowly heat the vegetable oil on medium high heat. In order to test if it is hot enough, take a small piece of the sfinci dough and drop it in the oil. If it immediately begins to sizzle, the oil is ready.
• Use a tablespoon or soup spoon to drop the dough into the hot oil, scraping off the spoon with your finger or another spoon. Do not overcrowd your pan. After about 1 1/2 minutes, carefully turn the sfinci over to brown the opposite side.
• When they are a light golden color, remove the sfinci with a slotted spoon and place on a dish covered with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
• Serve hot.

SFINGI

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Mix together baking powder and 1/2 cup flour. Fold into ricotta mixture. Add enough of remaining flour to make a thick batter. Let rest 1 hour.
• Heat oil in large heavy saucepan over high heat until a small amount of batter dropped in oil sizzles and starts to color. Drop batter by teaspoons into hot oil and deep fry until golden. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Stack sfingi on serving platter in a pyramid. Drizzle stack with honey and dust with confectioner's sugar.

ITALIAN SFINGI (ITALIAN DOUGHNUTS)

Steps:

• Mix flour, sugar, and baking powder.
• Add eggs, water, and vanilla; mix well.
• Drop batter by tablespoons in hot, deep oil.
• If oil is hot enough, sfingi will cook and turn over without help.
• If not, turn with a large spoon to brown on both sides.
• Add as many sfingi that will fit in skillet or deep-fryer.
• Fry until golden brown.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Combine powdered sugar and cinnamon.
• Sprinkle warm sfingi with powdered sugar and cinnamon mixture.
• Delicious served warm!

FRIED DOUGH / SFINGI RECIPE - (4.2/5)

Steps:

• Mix the yeast into 1/4 cup of warm water and let sit for 10 minutes until foamy. Add the rest of the water and the salt. Mix. Add the flour one cup at a time. You can use your hands or a food processor to mix it, but I prefer my big standing mixer with a dough hook. Mix in the flour until it forms a ball, then knead for 5-10 minutes (3-4 minutes in the mixer). Take balls of dough about the size of a small lemon and flatten them until they're about 3″ in diameter. Place on a floured towel or cookie sheet and cover with another clean towel. Let rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes. Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or a large pan until it's about 375 degrees fahrenheit. To test, drop a small piece of dough in. It should puff up and sizzle. While you're waiting, mix together sugar and cinnamon. Put this in a paper bag and mix together. Fry the dough about 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned. Drain on brown bags or paper towels, then shake in the bag with the cinnamon and sugar. Mmmmmm!