Puff Puff - West African deep fried dough

A popular West African dessert and street food, known as Puff Puff in Nigeria, Bofrot in Ghana, Yovo doko in Benin.

The dessert is made of a mixture of flour, yeast, sugar and water. The batter is mixed to a dropping consistency, allowed to sit for about an hour and then deep-fried until it forms a golden crust on the exterior. The inside is fluffy and soft with a crunchy and chewy but soft exterior.

The fritters are usually served with sprinkles of powdered sugar.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4 (12 donuts)

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour

• 1¼ cups Water

• 2 Teaspoons Yeast

• 1 Teaspoon Nutmeg

• ½ Teaspoon Salt

• ¼ Cup Sugar + 1 teaspoon sugar for proofing the yeast

• Enough Oil for deep frying

Cooking Steps

1. Mix half of a cup of warm water, 1 teaspoon of sugar and the yeast in a bowl. Cover with a lid and set aside until the yeast becomes bubbly. About 4-6 minutes.

2. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients - Flour, Sugar, Salt, and Nutmeg.

3. Pour the proofed yeast and the remaining one cup water together with the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is lump-free.

4. Cover the dough and allow it to rise for 1 hour. (The risen dough has a distinct sweet smell, which will make you know the dough is ready for frying)

5. Preheat the oil in a pan deep and wide enough to accommodate the puff puff balls (about 360°F ) and scoop a little bit of dough and drop the batter by spoonful into the oil.

6. Fry both sides until golden brown. If you are finding it hard to turn the puff puff while frying you can just press down the balls a little bit with your frying spoon before turning it.

7. Remove from heat. Drain on a paper towel and enjoy while still hot or warm.