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Koeksisters

African · 55 min · Easy · 12 pieces

Koeksisters

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Plaited dough fried gold and plunged straight into ice-cold syrup, so the outside stays crisp while the inside floods sweet.

~410 cal per serving — Calories are approximate, per serving — a guide only.

soy-freenut-free
Plan it:

Method

  1. 1

    Make the syrup the night before

    ⏱ 5 min

    Boil the sugar with the water, the lemon juice, ginger and cinnamon stick in a pot for 5 minutes, then refrigerate overnight. It must be ICE COLD: this is the entire trick.

  2. 2

    Make the dough

    ⏱ 60 min

    Rub the cold butter into the flour and baking powder in a bowl, add the plant milk and bring to a soft dough. Rest, covered, for an hour.

  3. 3

    Cut and plait

    Roll the dough ½ inch (1 cm) thick, cut into strips, and plait each into a three-strand braid, pinching the ends firmly so they do not unravel in the oil.

  4. 4

    Fry, then plunge

    ⏱ 3 min

    Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C) and fry the plaits for 3 minutes until deep gold. Lift them straight from the oil into the ice-cold syrup for 30 seconds, then out onto a rack.

  5. 5

    Drain

    Let them drain on the rack. The crust stays crisp while the middle is soaked. That contrast is the whole thing.

Notes

Hot dough into cold syrup, the reverse of malva pudding, and the reason koeksisters keep their crunch. Work in small batches and keep the syrup in the fridge between them; warm syrup gives limp, sticky koeksisters.

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