AI-generated image
Toutons
Fried bread dough with molasses
Newfoundland fried bread dough with molasses
CanadianToutons are the Sunday breakfast of Newfoundland outports, born when a piece of the week's bread dough was pinched off and fried in the pan while the loaves rose. In St John's diners today they still come with a jug of dark molasses or a spoon of butter. They are crisp and golden outside and soft as a bun inside. A common mistake is frying them too hot, which browns the outside before the middle cooks through. Chef's tip: flatten the pieces to about 1.5 cm so they cook evenly.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz strong white bread flour
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
- 1 ⅜ oz butterfor frying
- 6 tbsp molassesto serve
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz strong white bread flour, ⅛ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tbsp caster sugar and 1 tsp salt, add ¾ cup lukewarm water and knead for 8 minutes into a soft, smooth dough.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm spot for about 1 hour, until doubled. (Or use 500 g of risen bread dough you already have.)
60 minStep 3: Knock the dough back and pull off eight pieces. Flatten each into a rough disc about 1.5 cm thick and rest for 5 minutes.
5 minStep 4: Melt half the 1 ⅜ oz butter in a heavy frying pan over a medium-low heat. Fry the toutons in two batches for 3–4 minutes a side, adding more butter, until deep golden and they sound hollow when tapped.
14 minStep 5: Serve hot with 6 tbsp molasses poured over or alongside for dipping.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does toutons take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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 strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Sabudana khichdiSago with peanuts and potato
Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.
Indian
Doi chiraFlattened rice with curd
Nothing is cooked for doi chira, which is why it has been the breakfast of farmers and fishermen in Barisal for generations: flattened rice is rinsed, softened in thick, slightly sour curd and sweetened with jaggery or sugar, then mashed together with a ripe banana. The texture is soft and creamy with a little chew from the rice flakes, and the taste is cool, sweet and tangy. It is eaten on hot summer mornings, at village fairs and as part of the Pohela Boishakh spread, and it is a favourite of children and of anyone fasting who wants something gentle. The usual misstep is soaking the chira for too long, which turns it to paste; a quick rinse is all it needs before the curd does the rest. Chef's tip: use thick-cut chira, not the thin kind for frying, so the flakes hold their shape.
Bangladeshi
BsissaRoasted barley flour with olive oil
A tin of bsissa sits in many Tunisian kitchen cupboards, from Tunis flats to farmhouses in the south: a finely ground flour of roasted barley, roasted chickpeas and spices such as coriander, fennel and aniseed. In the morning a few spoonfuls are worked with olive oil and something sweet into a nutty, crumbly paste, or stirred with water into a thick drink, and it keeps you going until lunch. Travellers and pilgrims once carried it for the road. Roasting your own flour takes 15 minutes and makes a jar that lasts weeks. Sugar and dates keep it vegan; some families use honey. Chef's tip: roast the flours separately over a low heat and stir constantly; the moment they smell like toasted biscuits and turn light tan, tip them out of the pan.
Tunisian