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Petulla
Petulla: puffy Albanian and Kosovar fried dough fritters for breakfast
In Albania and Kosovo, petulla are fried on weekend mornings and for family celebrations: a very soft, wet yeast dough is pulled into rough rounds with oiled hands and dropped into hot oil, where it puffs into golden, airy fritters. They are eaten hot with feta-style cheese, jam, honey or a dusting of sugar, alongside tea or coffee. The common mistake is adding flour until the dough is firm and easy to handle; it should be almost too wet to hold, which is what makes petulla light and hollow. Chef's tip: keep a bowl of oil beside the pan and dip your fingers in it before each fritter, so the sticky dough slides off your hand and stretches thin.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 14 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups waterlukewarm
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower oilfor frying, plus a bowl for your hands
- 6 tbsp jamto serve
- 2 tbsp icing sugar (optional)to serve
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt, add 1 ½ cups water and beat with a spoon for 3–4 minutes into a very soft, sticky dough.
4 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled and bubbly.
Step 3: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a deep pan to 350°F, or until a small piece of dough rises at once with lively bubbles.
Step 4: Dip your fingers in a bowl of oil, pinch off a piece of dough the size of a small egg, stretch it into a thin round and lower it into the oil.
Step 5: Fry 3 or 4 at a time for 1–1½ minutes on each side, until puffed and golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
15 minStep 6: Serve hot with 6 tbsp jam and a dusting of 2 tbsp icing sugar. Non-vegans eat them with white cheese or honey.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does petulla 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- 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 fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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