Helen Demetriou from Helen’s Kouzina is back to give us her recipe for Greece’s answer to donuts, Loukoumades!
Loukoumades are a soft, pillowy donut-style dessert that is usually served with honey, or really anything you enjoy topping it with.
They are super versatile and the perfect dessert after any meal, you’ll feel like you’re back in Greece with Helen’s recipe.
This is what you will need:
- 2 tablespoons dry yeast
- 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup of warm water
- Mix the above and let it rise for 10 mins.
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups warm water
- 3 cups plain flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, this helps them crunch, my mother-in-law’s tip
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- vegetable oil for frying
Honey syrup
In a small pot, add 2 cups of sugar, 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 1/2 cups of water, simmer for 15 mins. You can also add some cinnamon cloves if you like.
The dough
In a large bowl, mix yeast and sugar into half a cup of warm water. When mixture turns foamy, about 5 minutes, stir in remaining 1½ cups warm water along with the flour, salt, lemon juice, oil , nutmeg and vanilla. Mix until batter is thick but smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 1–1½ hours. (The dough should be very soft and bubbly.)
Heat your oil, in a medium sized deep pot.
Working in batches, slide dollops of the batter (about the size of a heaped tablespoon) into the hot oil, making sure not to crowd the pan. You can also use a piping bag if easier. They will puff up and float to the surface. Turn occasionally for 3-4 minutes until the batter is a crisp and golden brown on all sides.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Once drained, pop them in your cold honey syrup for a minute.
Lastly, sprinkle walnut and cinnamon mix.
