Greece

GREECE: Loukoumades

These were suggested by my very grown-up cousin and aunt — Beatty Jones and Tet Jones. I know that nothing will give them greater pleasure than knowing my balls are on the internet. I added a bit of orange blossom water to the honey…it needed tarting up.

INGREDIENTS:

2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water
4 cups vegetable oil, or as needed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a small bowl. The water should be no more than 100 degrees F (40 degrees C). Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam. In a large bowl, mix the warm milk, sugar, and salt, and mix to dissolve. Pour the yeast mixture into the milk mixture, and stir to combine.

Beat in the butter, eggs, and flour until the mixture forms a smooth, soft dough. Cover the bowl, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes. Stir the dough well, cover, and let rise 30 more minutes.

Mix honey and 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and let the honey syrup cool.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Oil should be about 2 inches deep.

Place a large table or soup spoon in a glass of water near the batter. Scoop up about 2 tablespoons of dough per puff with the wet spoon, drop it into the wet palm of your hand, and roll it back into the spoon to create a round shape. Do not overhandle the puffy, soft dough. Drop the dough balls into the hot oil in batches, wetting the spoon each time you make a dough ball. Fry in the hot oil until golden brown on the bottom, and roll them over to cook the other side, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Gently set the loukoumades aside to drain on paper towels.

Place the loukoumades on a baking sheet, drizzle them with honey syrup, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve warm