Libyan doughnut - Sfinz (سفنز (معجنات مقلية
Sfinz are usually served for Friday breakfasts. Sfinz is a spongy fried bread that can be made plain and eaten with sweet toppings like date molasses and honey, or else fried with an egg.
This amount makes about 10-12 sfinz.
Ingredients
4 cups fine white flour
4 tablespoons olive oil for the dough
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
11/2 cups warm water + 1/2 cup warm water for the yeast
(25g fresh yeast or tbspoon dried yeast + 1 tspoon sugar )
corn oil for deep frying
In a small bowl mix the fresh yeast, with 1/2 cup warm water, leave in warm place until it becomes frothy
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, add the yeast mix.
Add the olive oil and 11/2 cup warm water gradually. Knead well to get a soft consistency dough, which will be easy to spread by hand later.
The sfinz dough is soft and sticky dough, so you need well oiled hands to work with it.
Oil your hands, then shape the dough into a large ball brush it with oil. Cover with a cling film, and leave until the dough has risen, it should be treble its original volume. knead the dough again so it falls, then leave to rise again.
Oil a tray, and with oiled hands take a handful of dough and squeeze into large egg size (about 10 sfinz balls). Place the balls on a well oiled surface and cover with cling film. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Oil a dinner plate. put one dough ball in the middle of the plate. Flatten each ball to the same shape as the plate, dipping your hands in oil as needed. The edges should be a bit thicker than the center, like a pizza crust.
Fry in hot oil. If you are making plain sfinz just fry, turn to the other side until both sides is golden brown.
When you fry sfinz , the top side of the sfinz will pop up as soon as it placed in oil. To make egg sfinz flip the doughnut onto the opposite side as soon as it pops up. This side will have a " hollow." You should have an egg in a bowl ready to pour into the hollow.
Push the sfinz down with a spatula and spoon hot oil on top to fry the egg as well. Once the egg has set you can flip to brown the egg side.
Egg sfinz are great rolled up with a slice of cheese.
Drizzle plain sfinz with date molasses, or tear off pieces to scoop up qishta cream/kiri cheese and honey.
Sfinz is best eaten as soon as possible after frying, but warms up well in the microwave. It also keeps for a day or two in the fridge if stored in an airtight container.
Ingredients
4 cups fine white flour
4 tablespoons olive oil for the dough
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
11/2 cups warm water + 1/2 cup warm water for the yeast
(25g fresh yeast or tbspoon dried yeast + 1 tspoon sugar )
corn oil for deep frying
In a small bowl mix the fresh yeast, with 1/2 cup warm water, leave in warm place until it becomes frothy
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, add the yeast mix.
Add the olive oil and 11/2 cup warm water gradually. Knead well to get a soft consistency dough, which will be easy to spread by hand later.
The sfinz dough is soft and sticky dough, so you need well oiled hands to work with it.
Oil your hands, then shape the dough into a large ball brush it with oil. Cover with a cling film, and leave until the dough has risen, it should be treble its original volume. knead the dough again so it falls, then leave to rise again.
Oil a tray, and with oiled hands take a handful of dough and squeeze into large egg size (about 10 sfinz balls). Place the balls on a well oiled surface and cover with cling film. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Oil a dinner plate. put one dough ball in the middle of the plate. Flatten each ball to the same shape as the plate, dipping your hands in oil as needed. The edges should be a bit thicker than the center, like a pizza crust.
Fry in hot oil. If you are making plain sfinz just fry, turn to the other side until both sides is golden brown.
When you fry sfinz , the top side of the sfinz will pop up as soon as it placed in oil. To make egg sfinz flip the doughnut onto the opposite side as soon as it pops up. This side will have a " hollow." You should have an egg in a bowl ready to pour into the hollow.
Push the sfinz down with a spatula and spoon hot oil on top to fry the egg as well. Once the egg has set you can flip to brown the egg side.
Egg sfinz are great rolled up with a slice of cheese.
Drizzle plain sfinz with date molasses, or tear off pieces to scoop up qishta cream/kiri cheese and honey.
Sfinz is best eaten as soon as possible after frying, but warms up well in the microwave. It also keeps for a day or two in the fridge if stored in an airtight container.