These African doughnuts are soft, pillowy, fluffy on the outside with incredible flavor! Perfect for snacking, breakfast or entertaining. And the twists are such fun shapes. Enjoy, friends!
Oil for fryingCorn oil, canola oil or vegetable oil will work well here.
Instructions
Heat the milk to be just slightly warm to the touch. I heated it for 1 minute in the microwave. The milk should be about 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the yeast to the milk and let it rest for 2 minutes. Add the sugar, salt, melted butter and egg then whisk everything together. Finally, add in the flour and mix with a wooden spoon to form a dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
Punch down dough to deflate then place on a floured board and cut into 24 equal pieces. (I start off by cutting the dough into two. Then cutting each piece into two twice to form 8 pieces. Then I cut every 1 of the eight pieces into 3. That makes 24 pieces.)
Take one piece and roll out into a 13-inch rope. Twist the rope in the opposite direction (move one hand upward and the other hand downward as you roll). Hold up and keep twisting until it forms a twisted doughnut. Press the ends together to seal them. Place the twisted doughnut on a large tray or chopping board. Repeat process with the rest of the dough.
Let the twisted doughnuts rise for about twenty minutes. Halfway through, flip them to the other side so the flat side can rise too. Also, halfway through place oil to heat up on high.
Let the oil heat up to about 350 degrees F or for about 8-10 minutes then turn the heat down to medium-low. Place in the twisted doughnuts to fry being careful not to overcrowd the pan. (I fry 6 doughnuts at a time in my wok). Once the doughnuts turn golden brown on one side, flip to the other side and let them cook. Once the other side is golden brown, remove and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil. They take about 4 minutes total to cook.
If you desire, mix 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon in a paper bag and place the hot doughnuts in and shake to coat. Insanely good!
Notes
1. If the twists are too hard for you to form, simply form the doughnuts into 1-inch balls and let them rise again as you would with the twists before frying. Note that if you for them into balls, they will take a few more minutes to cook thoroughly.2. These African doughnuts freeze well. Place them in a Ziploc bag and place in the freezer. To eat, simply remove them and let them thaw before eating. If you want them warm, place in the microwave and warm for a minute before eating - note that arming them will melt the sugar coating on the outside. Also, you should warm them for more than a minute as they will become hard.3. Nutritional information is per doughnut.