May. 6, 2008
Buρuelos - A Traditional Desert
One of the things you learn when you live in a Hispanic area, when you learn to eat and love their food, is you learn to cook like the natives cook. I thought I would share with you a traditional Mexican desert. A couple years ago one of my African American friends and I made some buñuelos from a recipe book that I had. After my Latina friend ate them she exclaimed they were just like her Mother's recipe.
This traditional desert was eaten by my friends' family at Christmas time. Well I won't make you wait that long for the recipe but I will probably remind you about this recipe as the season gets closer.
Here's the recipe and instructions:
BUÑUELOS
7 cups regular all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
¼ cup (1/8 lb.) butter
2 eggs
½ cup milk
Salad oil for deep frying
Sugar or glazed coatings (see following instructions)
Sift 3 1/3 cups of the flour, measure, and then sift again with salt, baking powder, and sugar into a bowl. Add butter and rub into the flour mixture with your fingertips until mixture is like coarse meal. Beat eggs lightly with milk, then pour into flour mixture and stir until dough forms a solid mass. If the dough is sticky, using the remaining flour gradually add to the flour mixture until the stickiness is gone. If you don’t use all 7 cups of flour, that’s okay. Turn dough out onto board, and knead for 2 minutes or until smooth. Cut dough into balls the size of large marbles and let stand 15 minutes.
Roll each ball on a lightly floured board into a very thin pancake 4 inches in diameter. Cut a hole in center with a thimble. After you roll out the circles of dough, place them in a single layer on waxed paper until you are ready to cook.
Fry in hot deep fat (375 degrees) until puffed and golden brown, about 30 seconds on each side. Drain on paper towels. Use one or both of the following coatings. Makes 6 dozen.
Sugar-Coated Buñuelos. Mix 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a paper bag. Reheat Buñuelos in a 250 degree oven for 5 minutes; then shake gently, one at a time, in bag to coat with sugar-cinnamon mixture.
Glazed Buñuelos. Place ½ cup each granulated sugar, light brown sugar (firmly packed), and water in a frying pan. Add 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon dark corn syrup. Heat, stirring, until sugar melts, then boils rapidly for 1 to 2 minutes, or until two drops of syrup run together off spoon. The glaze will still be thin syrup.
Remove from heat and cool for 1 minute; then place Buñuelos in pan, one at a time, and spoon over syrup until coated on both sides. Drain on wire rack for 30 minutes. The coating will be slightly tacky, but not drippy. Makes enough to glaze about 20 Buñuelos.
Michelle Rothwell
