Fried dough ribbons

Serve these ribbons warm to enjoy them at their softest and most fragrant, finished with a drizzle of honey or a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

Fried dough ribbons Credit: One World Kitchen

• serves

  8

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 4 cups (600 g) flour
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp fast-acting yeast
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tbsp (40 ml) olive oil
• 1 ½ tbsp lemon zest
• Olive oil, for deep frying

To serve

• Sugar mixed with cinnamon for dusting
• Honey, for drizzling

Resting time: 1 hour

Instructions

1. Sift together flour, salt, yeast and dried thyme in a large bowl. Add the water, olive oil and lemon zest and mix together with your hands. Knead until the dough is soft and elastic.
2. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm, drought-free place until doubled in size, about an hour. 
3. When dough is ready, lightly flour a flat surface. Lightly oil your hands with some olive oil, and break off pieces of dough. Roll them out into long, ribbon-like shapes. Shape your dough into a variety of shapes (braids, coils, pretzels, etc.)
4. In a large, deep frypan, heat the oil over high heat. Working in batches so as to not overcrowd the pan, carefully add dough shapes. Fry for a few minutes, or until golden brown. Remove dough with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.
5. While still warm, transfer to a plate and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture or honey. Repeat until all the dough has been fried and dusted or drizzled. Serve warm.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.