Malasadas are a traditional Portuguese dessert deep fried and coated with sugar. This malasadas recipe is a variation on a Bermudian family classic, from my aunt.
5 lbs flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3+ packages of yeast
1 1/4 cup warm water
3 tablespoons vanilla
1/4 lb melted butter, warm
12 beaten eggs at room temperature
4 cup evaporated milk, warm
- Stir yeast into warm water and let activate for at least 10 minutes. In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar and salt. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.
- Pour yeast, water, vanilla and eggs into the well in the flour mixture and stir with your hands. Slowly add milk until dough forms a shaggy ball.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and and knead gently- turning and folding the dough 8 or so times. Don’t overdo it.
- Let dough rise, covered, in a greased bowl until double in size (about 4 hours).
- Punch down dough and let rise again for 30 minutes.
- Heat a large pan of oil on the stove or preheat a deep fryer.
- When ready to fry donuts cut off small ~1/4 cup pieces of dough. Stretch dough out like a pancake and make a hole in the middle. Drop into hot oil and fry on both sides until golden.
- Coat donuts in sugar and enjoy with a cup of tea.
