Recipe
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup of corn meal (NOT corn flour)
3 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup of carnation milk
1/2 teaspoon essence
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoon butter
pinch of salt
2 cups of canola oil
FOR THE SYRUP:
2 cups of white sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 stick of cinnamon
1 cup of water
small piece of ginger, chopped
Directions
In a large bowl add the flour, corn meal, butter, salt and baking powder. Using your fingers, work in the butter into the flour until it is crumbly.
To a separate bowl add the milk, essence and egg. Whisk together.
Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mix and knead in with your hands.
Knead a few times, and form into a ball. Use a sprinkle of flour if the dough is too sticky.
Cover with a damp paper towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
While the dough is resting make the syrup.
Add everything to a small sauce pan and simmer on low for 15 minutes. The syrup would be semi thick. Remove from the heat and strain off the ginger and cinnamon stick.
Place in the fridge until ready to use.
Heat your oil to 350 degrees.
The dough should have risen in size. Cut it into two to form two balls.
Roll out using your rolling pin into a 1/4 of an inch thickness. Then using a pizza cutter cut into thin even strips length wise.
Take three stands, and start braiding it togther. Try to get it as tight as you can and make sure both ends are stuck firmly. Otherwise it would unravel in the oil. Continue braiding all of your pieces from both sets of dough.
Start frying, no more than 3-4 at a time depending on the size of your pot.
The dough will float to the top when it is done, once it floats to the top of the oil, as soon as it gets to a nice golden brown color remove and set on a wore rack over a cookie sheet to drain. Continue frying until all of your braids have been fried.
Now you can dip each donut brain into the bowl of the syrup and placing it to drain on the wire rack or you can just serve it up hot with a side of syrup that you can dip it in!
Your choice! Enjoy!
Recipe developed from various Web pages and AfricanBites.com.
