Malasadas

It's the dog days of summer, and if you're stuck at home (like me) daydreaming about the perfect vacation spot, I have just the tropical treat to snap you out of it and transport you (at least temporarily) to paradise. These fried dough treats, called malasadas, are native to Portugal, but are a specialty on the islands of Hawaii. They're great simply rolled in some cinnamon sugar, or for a tasty surprise you can pump them full of all sorts of fillings - custard, guava, or chocolate. But today, I'm going with my favorite, a coconut filling called haupia that's pure creamy, coconutty goodness!

Here's all you knead (see what I did there?)

Start off by dissolving a package (2 1/4 teaspoons) of yeast and 
1 tablespoon of sugar in  a 1/4 cup of warm water.

Next, mix 6 cups of flour and and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl.

In a medium sized bowl, beat six eggs and add 1/2 cup of sugar,
1/4 cup melted butter, 1 cup water,  and 1 cup of evaporated milk.

Once the yeast mixture foams, it means the yeast is dissolved
and you can add it to the wet ingredients.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture...

and pour the wet ingredients in.

Mix the dough until it is soft and smooth then cover it and
let it rise until doubled in size, about two hours.

Meanwhile, you can make the haupia filling by heating 2 cups
of coconut milk and adding 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and
1/2 cup of sugar, constantly stirring the mixture.  

Once the haupia thickens, set it aside to cool.

After the dough has risen, punch it down, and break
off small balls, about 2 - 3 inches in diameter.

Make sure to keep your hands well-floured during this process,
as the dough is a bit sticky.  Set the balls on  a greased and/or
lined baking sheet, cover them, and allow them to double
in size, about an hour.

Don't they just look like soft pillows of doughy goodness?

To cook the malasadas, heat about 2 inches of oil to 350
degrees. You'll need a candy thermometer for this! 

Cook the malasadas until light brown, about 4 minutes on each side.

From there, remove the malasadas, making sure to shake off
any excess oil. You can either go with the simply approach
and roll them in cinnamon sugar, or... 

You can pump them full of...

The creamy, luscious...

and delicious haupia filling!

And of course, if you're going with the haupia, you can still
finish off your malasadas with some cinnamon sugar! It
would be crazy not to, right?

Don't they just look like a little piece of paradise? The dough is so light and fluffy, and the haupia is such a burst of refreshing coconut. But, if you're not a coconut fan, feel free to experiment with all sorts of fillings. Something's telling me a nutella filling would be amazing! The only bad thing about these babies is that you can eat them all in one sitting!

Malasada Recipe (yields about 22):

Ingredients:

For the Malasadas:

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup warm water

6 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup water

1 cup evaporated milk

Vegetable oil, for frying

Cinnamon sugar, optional

For the Haupia Filling:

2 cups coconut milk

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water.

2. Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl.

3. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl and add the sugar, melted butter, water, and evaporated milk.

4. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Incorporate the two, until you get a soft and smooth dough.

5. Cover the dough and let it rise until doubled in size, about two hours.

6. For the haupia filling, heat the coconut milk in a saucepan and add in the cornstarch and sugar, constantly stirring until the mixture thickens. Set aside to cool.

7. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and form small balls of dough, about 2 - 3 inches in diameter. Set them on a greased baking sheet and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

8. Cook the malasadas in 2 inches of vegetable oil until golden brown, about four minutes on each side.

9. Cut a small, but deep hole in the short side of the malasadas and pipe them full of haupia (a zip loc bag with a corner cut off works as a great piping bag!).

10. Optional: roll the malasadas in sugar or cinnamon sugar. Make sure to do this while the malasdas are still hot so that the sugar will adhere!