Introduction
Oh my goodness, are you ready to make some magic in your kitchen? There’s something just so incredibly comforting and joyful about warm, fluffy fried dough. For me, it brings back memories of cozy nights or maybe a special treat out. But guess what? You don’t need a special occasion or a fancy restaurant to enjoy these little pillows of happiness. We’re making homemade sopapillas, and let me tell you, they are SO much easier than you might think. Seriously, you’re just a few simple ingredients away from sinking your teeth into these tender, golden beauties, drizzled with honey or dusted with powdered sugar. Get ready to impress yourself and everyone around you!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fast: From start to finish, you’re looking at about 30 minutes. Impressive, right?
- Easy: No fancy techniques here, just simple mixing, rolling, and frying.
- Giftable: Though best fresh, a warm batch makes a delightful surprise! (Maybe deliver them warm?)
- Crowd-pleasing: Who doesn’t love warm fry bread? These disappear lightning fast.
Ingredients
Gather up these pantry staples – you might have most of them already!
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled: Just regular flour works perfectly here to give us that tender crumb. Make sure you spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife for accuracy!
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder: This is our secret weapon for those amazing airy puffs. It helps them rise beautifully as they fry.
- ½ teaspoon salt: Just a little bit to balance the sweetness and bring out the flavors. Don’t skip it!
- 1 ½ tablespoons shortening: This is key for tender, flaky dough. I like solid vegetable shortening here.
- ½ cup warm water: Warm water helps everything come together nicely and activates the baking powder. Think bathwater warm, not hot!
- 3 cups vegetable oil for frying: You’ll need enough oil to comfortably fry your sopapillas. Vegetable oil is a great choice because it has a high smoke point.
- Garnish (Optional): powdered sugar, honey: The classic toppings! Have them ready for serving.
How to Make It
Okay, let’s get cooking! Follow these simple steps, and you’ll have perfect sopapillas in no time.
First, in a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt. This gets all the dry ingredients nicely combined.
Next, cut in the shortening. You can use a pastry blender, a fork, or even your fingertips (just make sure your hands are clean!). Work the shortening into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
Now, pour in the warm water. Use a fork or a spatula to mix everything until a shaggy dough forms. Then, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead the dough gently for about 1 to 2 minutes. You just want it to come together into a smooth ball. Don’t overwork it – we want tender sopapillas!
Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes. This resting time is important; it helps the gluten relax, making the dough easier to roll and resulting in more tender sopapillas.
While the dough is resting, heat the vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. You want the oil to reach about 360-375°F (180-190°C). If you have a thermometer, use it! If not, you can test the oil by dropping in a tiny piece of dough. If it sizzles and floats to the top immediately, it’s ready.
Once the dough has rested, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about ¼ inch thickness. You can roll it into a general rectangle or circle.
Cut the dough into desired shapes – traditional sopapillas are often squares or triangles, about 3-4 inches wide. A pizza cutter works great for this!
Carefully slide 1-2 sopapillas into the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. Fry for about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side, or until they puff up and turn golden brown. You should see them puff up like little pillows!
Using a slotted spoon or spider, remove the fried sopapillas from the oil and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain off excess oil.
Repeat with the remaining dough, adjusting the heat if necessary to keep the oil temperature consistent.
Serve immediately! Drizzle with warm honey, dust generously with powdered sugar, or enjoy them plain. Pure bliss!
Substitutions & Additions
Want to mix things up a bit? Here are some ideas:
- Sweet Sopapillas: Dust them with cinnamon sugar instead of or in addition to powdered sugar.
- Savory Twist: Skip the sugar/honey and serve them alongside chili or stew, like traditional fry bread!
- Different Oil: Canola oil or peanut oil also work well for frying.
- Butter: While shortening gives a classic tender result, you can try using unsalted butter cut into small pieces instead of shortening, though the texture might be slightly different. Make sure it’s cold!
- More Toppings: Serve with fruit compote, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, or even a scoop of ice cream!
Tips for Success
Here are a few things I’ve learned that make all the difference:
- Don’t Skip the Rest! Letting the dough rest for 10-15 minutes makes it much easier to roll and helps with puffing.
- Oil Temperature is Key: If the oil is too cool, your sopapillas will be greasy and won’t puff well. If it’s too hot, they’ll burn before they cook through. Aim for that 360-375°F range.
- Roll Evenly: Try to roll the dough to a consistent ¼ inch thickness so they cook evenly.
- Don’t Overcrowd: Fry only a few sopapillas at a time. Overcrowding cools down the oil temperature and prevents them from puffing properly.
- Puffing Magic: Sometimes gently pressing them down into the hot oil with your slotted spoon for a second can encourage them to puff, but often the baking powder does the work if the oil is the right temp!
How to Store It
Honestly? Sopapillas are best enjoyed fresh and warm right after frying. That’s when they have that amazing tender, airy texture.
If you do have leftovers (a rare occurrence!), you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two. They won’t be as puffy, but they’re still tasty!
To reheat, you can pop them in a toaster oven or a regular oven at around 300°F (150°C) for a few minutes to crisp them up slightly. Microwaving isn’t recommended as it makes them chewy.
FAQs
Got questions? I’ve got answers!
Why aren’t my sopapillas puffing?
The most common culprits are oil that isn’t hot enough, dough that didn’t rest, or dough rolled too thick or too thin. Make sure your oil is in the 360-375°F range!
Can I bake sopapillas instead of frying?
While you can bake similar dough (like biscuits), these traditional sopapillas rely on the quick, hot oil bath to puff up instantly and create that airy interior. Baking won’t give you the same result or texture.
What kind of oil is best for frying?
Vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil are all great choices because they have neutral flavors and high smoke points suitable for frying at the required temperature.
Easy Homemade Sopapillas: Cloud-Like Puffs of Fry Bread Heaven
Equipment
- Medium bowl
- Pastry blender or fork Or use your fingertips
- Spatula Or fork
- Covering Clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap
- Large pot or Dutch oven
- Thermometer Optional, for checking oil temperature
- Pizza Cutter Or knife for cutting dough
- Slotted spoon or spider For removing sopapillas from oil
- Plate Lined with paper towels for draining
Ingredients
Hauptzutaten
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 tablespoons shortening solid vegetable shortening suggested, key for tender/flaky
- 0.5 cup warm water bathwater warm
- 3 cups vegetable oil for frying, high smoke point
- powdered sugar optional garnish
- honey optional garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Next, cut in the shortening using a pastry blender, a fork, or your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
- Now, pour in the warm water. Use a fork or a spatula to mix everything until a shaggy dough forms. Then, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Knead the dough gently for about 1 to 2 minutes until it comes together into a smooth ball.
- Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes.
- While the dough is resting, heat the vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat to reach about 360-375°F (180-190°C). If you don't have a thermometer, test the oil by dropping in a tiny piece of dough; it should sizzle and float to the top immediately.
- Once the dough has rested, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about ¼ inch thickness.
- Cut the dough into desired shapes, about 3-4 inches wide squares or triangles, using a pizza cutter or knife.
- Carefully slide 1-2 sopapillas into the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. Fry for about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side, or until they puff up and turn golden brown.
- Using a slotted spoon or spider, remove the fried sopapillas from the oil and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- Repeat with the remaining dough, adjusting the heat if necessary.
- Serve immediately! Drizzle with warm honey, dust generously with powdered sugar, or enjoy them plain.
Notes
- Don't skip the 10-15 minute dough rest; it helps with rolling and puffing.
- Oil temperature is key! Aim for 360-375°F (180-190°C). Too cool results in greasy sopapillas that don't puff, too hot and they burn.
- Roll the dough evenly to about ¼ inch thickness for consistent cooking.
- Don't overcrowd the pot; fry only a few at a time to maintain oil temperature.
- Sometimes gently pressing them down into the hot oil can encourage puffing. How to Store:
- Sopapillas are best enjoyed fresh and warm.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two, though they lose puffiness.
- Reheat in a toaster oven or regular oven (300°F/150°C) for a few minutes to re-crisp. Microwaving is not recommended. FAQs:
- If sopapillas aren't puffing, check oil temperature, ensure dough rested, and that dough isn't too thick or thin.
- Sopapillas cannot be baked; the quick, hot oil bath is essential for the traditional puffing texture.
- Vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil are suitable frying oils due to their neutral flavor and high smoke point.