Loukoumades are traditional Greek donuts served with a generous amount of honey on top of them. Most places prepare the donut in a small ball shape rather than the traditional donut shape. Kpinos in Athens is one exception, they have been serving them for well over 100 years now. I couldn’t squeeze a visit to them as they are located north of most attractions and the burning heat took over my will to make a detour to make it.
Regardless, you can find them all over in Greece and they can be enjoyed in various ways, typically with honey syrup but if you dare you can have them covered with chocolate!
You need
- 160g lukewarm water ( about 100F)
- 160g lukewarm (any type works – I used Oat) milk ( about 100F)
- 300g all-purpose flour
- 1tbp sugar
- 10g active dry yeast
- 3tbp olive oil
- (optional)chopped walnut
- (optional) ground cinnamon
- salt
- oil
For the syrup
- 1/2cup honey
- 1/2cup water
Instructions
- For the syrup, put the honey and water in a small pot over medium heat, stir until fully combined and let it cool. Transfer to a container. If you don’t plan to use it today, store it in a fridge for a few weeks.
Tip: When you make your syrup, you can add a piece of lemon or whole cinnamon stick or even both to give an additional dimension to your syrup. - To make the dough, combine the water, sugar, and yeast in a standing mixer bowl. Give it a little stir and let it activate for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the flour, salt and olive oil to the bowl and mix at high speed for 2 minutes or until you have a smooth consistency.
- Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and let rest for an hour at room temperature.
- Using a fryer, a medium-sized pot or a deep frying pan, heat the oil to 350F. You need about 2 inches of oil.
Tip: You want to avoid going below or above that temperature. Below they will suck the oil and be oily and too high will brown them too fast. - Once the oil is at the right temperature, it’s time to make the balls. Prepare a bowl of water to wet your hand, grab a little bit of dough and transfer into the oil. It’s a little tricky at first but you will get the hang of it. Since they will puff in the oil, the ideal size is about a medium marble ( 3/4″ ball or so ). Wet your hand, make a ball and dump in hot oil and repeat.
Cook them for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
Tip: Make sure not to overcrowd the pot with balls as it will drop the oil temperature and/or make them stick together. - Transfer the ball onto paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
- Dip the balls into the honey syrup. Anywhere from 3 seconds to 1 minute. It’s up to you! The more you leave them in the more they will absorb but they will lose a bit of “firmness”.
- Plate and put some additional honey on the balls if you want.