Rózsafánk

Hello everyone,

I guess I spent more time contemplating on how to name this treat in English than it actually took me to make it. I could not really come to terms with myself, so finally I decided to stay with the original name: rózsafánk: the literal English translation of the word would be rose donuts, but somehow it felt inappropriate.

Anyway, here comes the recipe of a delicious sweet fried pastry that is surprisingly easy and quick to make.

Let’s jump in. 

Ingredients:

• 50 g softened butter
• 30 g powdered sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 150 g sour cream
• 250 g all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder

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• egg white for sticking the dough together
• ample amount of sunflower oil for frying

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For serving:

• jam of preference
• powdered sugar

Utensils:

• digital scale
• slotted spoon
• stand mixer with paddle attachment
• clingfilm
• round cookie cutters (3, 4 and 6 cm diameter)
• rolling pin
• scissors
• wooden spoon with a round handle
• saucepan for frying
• paper towel
• bowls

Tip the butter into the bowl of the stand mixer and mix for 1-2 minutes, then add powdered sugar and the egg yolks one by one. Wait until the previously added yolk is fully combined before adding the next one. Add vanilla and mix.

Combine flour, salt and baking powder.

While stirring constantly, add the dry ingredients and the sour cream alternating as follows: one third of the dry ingredients, half of the sour cream, one third of the dry ingredients, half of the sour cream and finish with the last third of the dry ingredients.

Mix until thoroughly combined. 

Dump the dough onto the floured countertop and knead it into a ball. Then wrap it into a piece of clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Flatten the dough on a floured surface, it should be about 3 mm thick. Cut equal number of round shapes with the three different sized cookie cutters. 

For assembling the pastry, using scissors, make a couple of cuts on each of the circles so that they could open up while frying, like petals.

Take one of the largest circles, apply a bit of egg white in the center, place a middle-sized circle on top, then apply egg white to the center again and finish off with a small circle.

Place the end of the handle of a wooden spoon into the middle and press the layers together so that they won’t fall apart while frying.

Repeat the process with the rest of the dough circles. 

Pour 4-5 cm of oil into a saucepan and heat it to 180 °Celsius. Gently lower the pastries one by one into the hot oil, fry them for about 2-3 minutes, then – using a slotted spoon - turn them and fry until both sides are golden brown, then let the excess oil drip off on a piece of paper towel.

The number of pastries that can be fried at the same time depends on the size of the saucepan used, but do not crowd them.

Serve with jam spooned in the middle and dusted with powdered sugar. Enjoy!