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Koeksisters

African · 55 min · Easy · 12 pieces

Koeksisters

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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