This weekend, I was in the mood for a fresh, homemade yeast bread, but
didn't want to turn on the oven (it's hot here, folks!). So I decided I
would "fool around" and see if I could come up with an acceptable fried
bread. I started by making a basic yeast dough, as follows:
1 packet regular yeast (I used Red Star Instant)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
Mix in bowl and allow to sit for five minutes, until foamy. Then, add
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
1 cup milk, heated to 105 F
1 egg, beaten
Blend in sufficient flour to make a soft, workable dough (about 3-1/2 to 4
cups)
Knead together until dough is smooth and bouncy.
Put into a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel, allow to rise until
doubled, about 1/2 to 3/4 hour depending on how hot it is(!)
Punch down, and divide into 12 portions. Poke a hole in the center of each
round. Roll out into flat rounds, set aside to rise until doubled, about
1/2 hour.
When ready to cook, heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large frying
pan, until bubbles rise around a chopstick or wooden spoon handle when
inserted in the oil. Fry the dough rounds on one side until golden, then
turn carefully and fry on the other side, also until nicely golden brown.
Remove from pan, and (if desired) immediately submerge in the following
syrup, which should be hot and ready for the rolls:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or more, to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place the syrup-coated rolls on a rack to cool.
This turned out beautifully, and everyone in my family devoured them as
fast as I could make them!