Sfenj — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Light, airy Moroccan doughnuts made from a sticky yeasted dough, deep-fried to golden perfection and enjoyed plain or dusted with sugar, a beloved breakfast street food.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 packet active dry yeast (7g)
1 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Oil for deep frying
Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

1 Dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water and let it sit for 10 minutes until frothy, then mix into the flour and salt to form a very sticky, wet dough.
2 Knead the sticky dough in the bowl for about 5 minutes, adding a tablespoon of oil, then cover and let rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled.
3 Oil your hands generously, take a portion of dough, shape it into a ring by poking a hole through the center, and stretch gently to form a doughnut shape.
4 Deep-fry the dough rings in oil heated to 180C, flipping once, until puffed and golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes total, then drain and dust with sugar.

Did You Know?

Sfenj vendors are a fixture of Moroccan mornings, with the doughnut sellers often using a single chopstick-like stick to flip and retrieve the doughnuts from hot oil with remarkable skill.