Flour, milk and oil are the three main ingredients in hojaldras.
Panamanian fried bread or doughnuts, called hojaldras, are one of the hallmarks of a Panamanian breakfast. Their two primary ingredients include milk and white flour, but unlike many traditional North American doughnuts, hojaldras contain no yeast and cook until they become crunchy. Home cooks usually dust them with a sprinkling of granulated sugar and serve them for breakfast with fried eggs and a side of breakfast meat. Vendors sell fresh hojaldras on the streets of Panama, sometimes frying them in batches on the spot for customers.
Instructions
1. Add 3 c. white flour, 1 tsp. baking powder and 1 tsp. salt to the large mixing bowl. Mix them together quickly using a fork or whisk. Form a well in the center and set aside.
2. Mix 3/4 c. milk and 1/2 c. neutral vegetable oil such as canola or grapeseed together in the small bowl using a whisk or fork.
3. Pour the liquid ingredients into the well in the large bowl, and stir with the wooden stirring spoon until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed together.
4. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface not dusted with flour. The dough should not stick.
5. Knead the dough with your hands for 5 to 6 minutes until it begins to feel like elastic.
6. Place the dough in the large bowl and cover. Place the bowl in your refrigerator to chill the dough for about 2 hours. If you like, you can leave the dough in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours or overnight.
7. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, turning it out again on the clean surface.
8. Roll the dough until it is about 1/3-inch thick with a rolling pin, and cut it into strips that have a surface area of about 2 inches by 4 inches. Roll each strip, and set it on a plate.
9. Fill a large saucepan with 5 or 6 inches of neutral vegetable oil such as canola or grapeseed. Place over a burner, and turn to medium heat.
10. Wait about 5 minutes, and toss a pinch of your hojaldras dough into the oil. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough to start frying. If not, wait another minute, and try again.
11. Drop the rolled hojaldras into the frying oil, and leave them until they begin to brown and rise to the surface, about 3 to 5 minutes.
12. Remove individual hojaldras from the oil with the slotted spoon as they are ready. Some may take a bit longer than others to finish cooking. Place them on a heatproof plate lined with 3 paper towels.
13. Blot extra oil off the hojaldras with paper towels, and dust with 1 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar. Serve immediately.
Tags: about minutes, canola grapeseed, clean surface, granulated sugar, large bowl, neutral vegetable, neutral vegetable such