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Food

Italian Deep-Fried Holiday Dough Recipe

These deep-fried strips of dough, also known as guande or struffoli, are a cinch to make and pretty as hell with a festive topping of sprinkles and sugar.
Italian Deep-Fried Holiday Dough Recipe

'My mother would put them in green garbage bags with beautiful designs and knots. When my son Anthony (Teetz) was five years old, he would wake up in the middle of the night just to sneak into the kitchen and eat the guande.'

Serves: a lot
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

3 tablespoons canola oil, plus more, for frying
2 ½ cups|300 grams all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons honey
honey, sprinkles, and confectioners’ sugar, for decorating

Directions

  1. Heat 2 inches of oil in a large saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer reads 325°F.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cups|180 grams of the flour, the baking powder, and salt, then make a well in the middle.
  3. Slowly mix the eggs, 3 tablespoons of oil, sugar, and honey into the well, then incorporate the flour, baking soda, and salt into the mixture.
  4. Knead the dough and integrate the remaining 1 cup|120 grams of flour until the dough is firm and bouncy.
  5. Let the dough rest with a towel on top of it for 10 to 15 minutes.
  6. Cut the dough into four pieces.
  7. Roll the dough through a pasta maker until it's about ¼-inch thick, or flatten it with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface.
  8. Cut them lengthwise, twist, make into knots or balls, or any shape that your festive heart desires.
  9. Drop into hot oil and take them out when they're golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  10. Let the guande cool down, glaze with honey, and turn them into a winter wonderland with confectioners’ sugar, sprinkles, and holiday love.

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