• Koeksisters

    Serves: 36
    Cooking Time: 50 mins plus overnight for the syrup

    Ingredients

    • SYRUP
    • 1,25kg sugar
    • 750ml (3 cups) water
    • DOUGH
    • 560g cake flour
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) baking powder
    • a pinch of salt
    • 30ml (2 tbsp) butter
    • 1 large egg
    • 375ml (1½ cups) milk
    • oil, for deep frying

    Instructions

    1

    For the syrup, start the day before. Dissolve the sugar in the water over a medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool, then chill in the fridge overnight.

    2

    For the dough, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs.

    3

    Mix the egg and milk together. Add it to the flour mixture, a little at a time, to form a soft dough.

    4

    Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 15 minutes until smooth and elastic. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

    5

    Roll the dough out 1cm thick on a very lightly floured work surface. Cut it into strips about 10cm long and 2,5cm wide. Cut each strip in the length into 2 strips, but not completely through at the top. Plait and pinch the ends together thoroughly. Set them aside under a clean kitchen towel.

    6

    Pour the sugar syrup into a bowl and suspend it over another bowl filled with ice water. Place a wire rack over an oven pan (you will use this to drain the koeksisters once they have been soaked in the syrup).

    7

    Heat the oil over a moderate heat in a large saucepan (it must fill up to two thirds of the saucepan). Drop a small piece of dough into the oil – if it floats to the top and turns golden brown the oil is ready. Carefully place about 4 koeksisters at a time in the oil, pressing them down for a few seconds with a slotted spoon. Fry them until they are golden brown on both sides.

    8

    Remove the koeksisters with a slotted spoon and immediately dunk them into the chilled syrup. Place them on the wire rack and reuse any syrup that drains into the oven pan.

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