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Kleinur
Kleinur: Icelandic twisted cardamom doughnuts
Kleinur are the twisted doughnuts of Iceland, fried in big batches and kept in tins for coffee time; Icelandic grandmothers cut the dough into diamonds with a special wheel, slit the centre and pull one end through, so each one twists into a knot. The same pastry is known as klejner in Denmark and klenäter in Sweden, made especially at Christmas. The dough is flavoured with cardamom and enriched with buttermilk. A common mistake is frying at too low a heat, which makes them greasy. Chef's tip: roll the dough thin, about 5 mm, and fry at 175 °C; they puff, brown in a minute and stay light.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flourplus extra
- 4 oz sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 2 ⅛ oz buttermelted
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For frying
- 6 ¼ cups sunflower oil
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What you'll need
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, 4 oz sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda and 1 ½ tsp ground cardamom. Add 2 ⅛ oz butter, 1 egg, ¾ cup buttermilk and 1 tsp vanilla extract and knead briefly into a soft dough. Chill 30 minutes.
Step 2: Roll out 5 mm thick and cut into diamonds about 8 × 4 cm. Cut a 3 cm slit in the middle of each and pull one end through the slit to make a twist.
Step 3: Heat 6 ¼ cups sunflower oil to 350°F. Fry 5 or 6 at a time for 1 minute per side, until deep golden. Common mistake: cool oil; they turn greasy.
20 minStep 4: Drain on kitchen paper and cool. Keep in a tin for up to a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 140 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kleinur take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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