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Homemade Fried Dough

by JANE WORTHINGTON-ROTH

Sometimes the simplest things make a lasting impression. Take fried dough… there are always long lines waiting for fresh-out-of-the-pot fried dough at our local country fairs. Topped with a dusting of powdered sugar, kids can’t wait to dig into this favorite treat.

But you don’t have to wait until summertime to enjoy fried dough. I used to make a very simple version of it for my family with tubes of refrigerated biscuits. This was an extra special treat on weekends, especially when my children had friends over.

My husband also loves the homemade fried dough as it reminds him of breakfasts with friends enjoying beignets at Café du Monde in New Orleans many years ago.

Homemade fried dough is not sweet at all – so you can choose your favorite topping to sweeten it up a bit: confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon sugar, Nutella, maple syrup, peanut butter or even apple sauce - all taste wonderful on the warm dough. Because the fried dough has such a neutral flavor, I find that it takes a good heavy coating of confectioner’s sugar to get just the right taste.

To make the fried dough I always purchase the least expensive package of refrigerated biscuits that I can find such as Pillsbury or even a generic supermarket brand. Get the plainest biscuits you can find, not fluffy or buttermilk. Most packages will contain about 10 biscuits. At the very least, plan on serving two biscuits to each person.

HOMEMADE FRIED DOUGH

1 package refrigerated biscuits
Canola or Corn Oil (or any neutral tasting oil, not olive oil)
Confectioner’s Sugar or your favorite topping

Pour ½ inch of oil into a medium castiron skillet.

Remove the biscuits from the tube and gently stretch each one. You don’t want to roll out the biscuits as this would compress the dough too much, but you want to stretch each biscuit out so that its very flat and the insides will fully cook during its brief time in the hot oil.

Heat the oil until just shimmering. I usually put one “sacrifice” piece of dough into the oil to test how hot it is. The dough should immediately begin sizzle and brown. When it’s light brown on the bottom side, carefully flip over the dough to continue browning on the other side, adjusting the burner temperature if necessary.

Don’t let the fried dough get too brown or the flavor might seem a bit scorched rather than delicately crisp. The dough will only take a minute or two on each side to cook.

Remove the fried dough from the oil and briefly drain on paper towels. Now you’re ready to dust, coat or dip the fried dough into your favorite toppings!

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