Recipe: koeksisters

[julesjones]

Apparently desperance is in need of new recipes to try, lest he be tempted to do something silly like writing. (And shewhomust is going to *kill* me when she finds out I've been leading him astray.)


Syrup:
4 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water

Boil for 15 minutes. Cool, add the juice of 1 lemon and the rind of 1
lemon. Put in fridge to get cold. (Other flavours such as vanilla can
be used.)

Dough:
4 cups flour
1 tb baking powder
pinch salt
2 eggs
1/4 lb butter
l 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups milk

Sift dry ingredients. Rub in butter, add beaten egg and milk. Dough must be soft and stick to the hands. Knead about ten minutes. Leave to stand for about an hour. Cover with a damp cloth. Roll out, cut into strips 3 inches long and 1 inch wide, cut into 3 and plait (they may need to be cut a little finer than that, or they don't cook all the way through, or don't absorb syrup properly).

Deep fry till golden brown. Take out of the hot oil, drain briefly, and put into the cold syrup immediately, submerging for about 1/2 minute or until the next batch is ready to come out of the oil. Take out and put onto a plate. Don't get syrup on the uncooked koeksisters or the tongs, as it will make the oil boil over.

Keep the syrup cold on a basin of ice while baking, and keep the uncooked koeksisters covered with a damp cloth to prevent the dough drying out.

My notes:
Make the syrup ahead of time and put it in the freezer for a few hours, if possible.

Don't leave the dough out overnight in a hot climate, the egg content goes off.

Can be done on the sweet bread dough-only cycle of a bread machine, but may need to go through kneading more than once.

Old book so no idea how big a cup was, but metric cup works just fine

Ever so much safer done in a deep fat fryer that allows you to cook with the lid off, and they *mean* it about don't get syrup in the hot fat.

If eaten as dessert after a main course, stop when you think you can fit one more in. You can't and you'll feel sick. :-)

Best on the day made, ideally straight from the production line, but they'll keep for a couple of days.


And keep the cats out of the kitchen while you're doing this...

Comments

[soshoni.livejournal.com]

Oh, yum, that sounds delicious. Thank you for the recipes

My mom made something similar that she called dough boys, but they weren't sweet and she made them with a kind of sourdough.

They also remind me of "Elephant Ears" - large, flat deep fried sweet dough covered with butter and cinnamon. It's sold as a fair food around where I live (not sure how prevalent they are elsewhere.)

On the subject of keeping cats out of the kitchen... check out this [YouTube]insurance commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DISo0Aq1wA). ^^

[julesjones]

These are a South African doughnut -- you get them in bakeries, but they were also a common fair food, and the sort of thing sold on bake stalls for fundraising.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Thank you! (And shhh...)