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Rollkuchen

Fried dough with watermelon

Mennonite fried dough strips eaten with cold watermelon

In the Russian Mennonite villages of southern Manitoba around Steinbach and Altona, late August means rollkuchen and watermelon: thin strips of fried dough, crisp and puffed with hollow pockets, eaten with cold slices of melon on the side. The pairing of hot, salty-ish dough and sweet, icy fruit is the whole joy of it. Some families dust them with sugar or dip them in syrup. A common mistake is rolling the dough thick; it should be about 3 mm so it blisters and stays light. Chef's tip: keep the oil at 180 °C and fry only a few at a time so they don't soak up grease.
Total time
35 min
Difficulty
easy
Serves
6
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Ingredients

Serves6
  • 10 ½ oz plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ cup soured cream
  • 4 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
  • 2 ¼ lb watermelonchilled and sliced, to serve
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar (optional)for dusting

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Method

0/5 done
  1. Step 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt. Beat 2 eggs, ½ cup milk and ¼ cup soured cream together and stir into the flour to a soft, slightly sticky dough.

    5 min
  2. Step 2: Knead briefly until smooth, then rest under a bowl for 10 minutes.

    10 min
  3. Step 3: Roll the dough on a floured surface to about 3 mm thick. Cut into strips about 5 × 10 cm and cut a slit in the middle of each.

    5 min
  4. Step 4: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a deep pan to 350°F (a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds). Fry three or four strips at a time for about 1 minute a side, until puffed and golden. Drain on kitchen paper. Never leave hot oil unattended.

    20 min
  5. Step 5: Dust with 2 tbsp icing sugar if you like and serve warm with the cold 2 ¼ lb watermelon.

    1 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories
340 kcal
Protein
7 g
Carbs
38 g
Fat
18 g
Fibre
1 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does rollkuchen take?
About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
6 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 baking powder?
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.

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