Sfenj
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Adapted from Jewlicious
Dough Ingredients
3 cups flour
4 tablespoons warm water
Half a shot of Arak (or any liquor)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon dried active yeast
1 1⁄4 cup warm water
Vegetable oil, for frying
Sugar, for garnish (optional)
Dough Instructions
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Make the yeast starter by dissolving 2 tablespoons of sugar in 4 tablespoons of warm water in a small bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon of dried active yeast. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
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Mix the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Add the remaining water, Arak and yeast mixture, and stir vigorously with your hand or a spoon until smooth for about 10-15 minutes. The dough should be too sticky to knead or shape, almost like a batter.
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Oil a mixing bowl lightly. Oil your hands and push dough down into the center of the original bowl with oiled hands until you can easily pick it up and transfer to the oiled bowl. Wipe any dough that might stick to your hands, dip fingers in oil again, and turn dough over in bowl. Then cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and allow to rise 3-4 hours.
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When dough is risen, punch it down in bowl with your fist. In a wide pot, heat an inch or more of vegetable oil until hot. You need about an inch of oil.
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Dip your hands in water, and pull off a piece of dough about the size of a an egg. Use your fingers to make a hole in the ball of dough, stretch the hole wide to make a ring about the size of a golf ball, and place the dough in the hot oil. The dough will puff up.
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Repeat with the remaining dough, wetting your hands as necessary to keep the dough from sticking as you work with it.
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Fry the sfenj until golden brown, turning once or twice. Remove the cooked sfenj with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
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Serve the sfenj hot. Dip the sfenj in sugar or drizzle honey to sweeten them.
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