Deep fried dishes aren’t exactly the healthiest stuff on the market, but you’ve got to give credit where credit is due. They’re pretty damn tasty, and for our hearty Hungarian stomach, that’s more than enough. With farsang soon here, we’ll give you our second most beloved dough-based dish: the mighty fánk (also known as doughnut)!
Doughnuts have been enjoyed by the sweet toothed ever since the time of Ramesses II. They’re found everywhere, from Vietnam to Italy, but everybody does them a little bit differently. Our version arrived to the Hungarian tables through Germany, that’s why the eerie resemblance of the Berliner to the fánk.
For a delicious and authentic Hungarian fánk experience, follow this recipe:
To get 40 pieces of doughnuts, you’ll need around 5ml yeast, 5dl milk, 4 egg yolks, 1 egg, 1.2dl sugar, 0.6dl butter, 17dl flour and some oil for frying.
- Dissolve yeast in warm milk: add 2 cups (around 6dl) flour and let stand in a warm place for half an hour.
- In another bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until you get a light texture, then add it to the yeast mixture.
- Add the remaining flour and melted butter, and let it rise until doubled in bulk.
- Place dough on a floured surface and pat it with hands until 1.5cm thick.
- Cut into circles with a cookie cutter.
- Cover and let it rest for about 15 minutes, until it’s doubled in size. Stick your finger into the middle of each circle to create a dent.
- Heat oil to 180 degrees Celsius and deep fry the doughnuts until they’re golden.
- Sprinkle the fánks with powdered sugar and serve with a jam of your choice (apricot is our favorite).
