Sfenj (Moroccan Fried Doughnuts)

La storia di questo piatto

Sfenj are the golden rings of the Maghreb, sold in Moroccan mornings and traced back to medieval Al-Andalus, then carried across the Maghreb and documented there by the time of the Marinid dynasty. They belong to the dawn of Marrakech, when the first scent in the street is warm and sweet.

Ingredienti

• 300 g All-purpose flour
• 280 ml Lukewarm water (about 35°C), plus a little more to wet your hands
• 5 g Dry active yeast
• 1 teaspoon Sugar (for the dough)
• 5 g Fine salt
• 800 ml Peanut oil for frying
• 4 tablespoon Granulated sugar for coating the sfenj

Preparazione

1. Pour the water into a large bowl and test the temperature with your wrist: it should feel barely warm, never hot, as excessive heat harms the yeast. Dissolve the yeast with the teaspoon of sugar and let it rest until a creamy foam forms on the surface and a bread-like aroma rises. If no foam appears, the yeast is spent: it's better to start again with fresh yeast than to waste all the flour.
2. Add the flour and salt and mix with your hand, fingers spread, lifting the dough and letting it fall back: this incorporates air into the batter. Continue for 6-7 minutes, until it becomes very soft and sticky, almost a thick batter that forms long strands and clings to your fingers. If it seems too wet, that's right: resist the temptation to add flour, because this hydration is what gives the interior its many holes.
3. Cover the bowl with a cloth and place it in a warm corner of the house, away from drafts. Let it rise for about 90 minutes, until doubled: the dough is ready when it has at least doubled in volume, the surface is full of bubbles and, when you gently shake the bowl, it trembles like jelly. If the room is cool, a few extra minutes may be needed. Don't touch it or deflate it: the air it has trapped is the whole secret to its softness.
4. Pour the oil (800 ml) into a wide pot with high sides, so that it is at least 4-5 cm deep, and heat it over medium heat to about 175°C. Without a thermometer, drop in a pinch of dough: it should rise immediately to the surface, sizzling gently, without burning and without sinking. Oil that is too cold makes the sfenj soak up grease, while oil that is too hot darkens them outside and leaves them raw inside. Prepare a small bowl of lukewarm water for your hands and a plate lined with paper towels beside the stove.
5. Wet your hands well with plenty of water: this is the gesture that makes the difference, so the dough doesn't stick to your fingers. Pull off a piece of dough the size of a small apple, flatten it slightly on your palm and insert a finger in the center to form a ring, with a hole at least two fingers wide, since it will shrink during cooking. Lower it gently into the oil, bringing your hand close to the surface so you don't splash yourself.
6. Fry 3 or 4 sfenj at a time, without overcrowding the pot, otherwise the oil cools down. As soon as they go in they puff up and float: let them cook for 2 minutes, then turn them with a slotted spoon or two chopsticks and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side, about 4 minutes per batch. They are ready when they are deep golden and even, light when lifted, and the sound of frying becomes calmer. If they remain pale, raise the heat slightly; if they darken too quickly, lower it.
7. Drain them with a slotted spoon, hold them briefly on paper towels to lose excess oil, then roll them immediately, while still very hot, in granulated sugar (4 tablespoons in total), so it adheres and melts slightly on the crust. Taste the first one: the crust should crackle lightly and inside you should find a soft crumb full of holes. If it seems bland, an extra sprinkle of sugar will fix it; serve them right away, warm, with mint tea or black coffee, because cold they lose half their magic.