These Ukrainian fried pastries Verhuny are delicious! It is a recipe that we discovered just recently and the truth is that we love it, because it is simple and made with simple ingredients, and I like this kind of recipes the most. Simple things that in the end turn into something completely delicious!
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The ingredients needed for the recipe are easy to find anywhere in the world, because they are all basic things that many of us already have at home in our pantries, so you shouldn’t have any problem finding them.
These pastries have a very particular shape that makes them distinctive. Now, don’t worry, because although it looks complicated it is actually very easy to fold them into this shape. At the end they are decorated with a little powdered sugar on top, and that looks great. Me, the truth is that I really enjoy all things sweet, and sometimes I find myself putting even a little more powdered sugar on top, oops!
As you can see in one of the photos, they are very soft on the inside and have little air pockets, similar to a classic doughnut would.
It is worth mentioning that these Verhuny fried pastries are fried. That’s what gives them that crispyness, and that texture that we like so much on the outside and softness on the inside. The truth is that I would not recommend baking them, because the result will be quite different from how they are traditionally supposed to be.
Now, as with all things that are fried, these breads should be eaten the very same day they are made, because otherwise they lose the texture that characterizes them and makes them taste so good!
They have a little lemon or lime in the mix, which gives them a citric touch that tastes great, and they also call for buttermilk and baking soda in the mix, which makes them puffy and extremely fluffy when cooked, you’ll see.
If you like this recipe then you have to check out our classic doughnuts, you will fall in love!
Ukrainian fried pastries (Verhuny)
Ingredients
- 1 egg, big
- 1 tsp (0.17 oz) (5 gr) salt
- 1/3 C (2.32 oz) (66 gr) white sugar
- 3 tbsp (1.60 oz) (45 gr) unsalted butter
- 3/4 C + 2 tbsp (7.10 fl oz) (210 ml) buttermilk
- 1/2 tsp (0.08 oz) (2.5 gr) baking soda
- The zest of 1 lime or 1/2 lemon
- 3 C (13.75 oz) (390 gr) all purpouse flour, sifted
- Enough amount of oil for frying (canola, sunflower or corn)
- Confectioners sugar for decorating, enough quantity (powdered sugar)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the egg with the salt and sugar. Beat using a hand whisk for 1 minute until the mixture fluffs a little.
- Add in the butter and buttermilk, baking soda and lemon zest. Beat for 2 more minutes until you get a homogeneous mixture.
- Finally, add in the flour (previously sifted) and mix using a rubber spatula for 1 minute until a very smooth dough is formed.
- Cover the bowl with kitchen plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
- Once the dough has rested, place it on a floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin to form a rectangle about 0.15 to 0.20 inches (4-5 mm) thick.
- With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut 1.95 to 2.40 inches (5-6 cm) wide strips across the width of the rectangle (widthwise). Then cut the dough diagonally following the same size of 5-6 cm wide to form dough lozenges. You should end up with approximately 24 rhombuses.
- Once the rhombuses are formed, make a small cut in the center of each. To give the classic shape, take each of the pieces, pass one of their ends through the cut and stretch. Repeat the process until all the breads are formed.
- Separately, add enough oil to fry in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- When the oil is very hot and has a temperature between 340º – 356º F (170°-180° C), start frying the pastries in batches of 6 or as many as will fit in the pan. The breads should be fried for 2 minutes on each side until golden brown.
- As soon as the breads come out of the oil, place them on a large plate with paper towels to remove excess oil. Decorate them with powdered sugar on top and they are ready to eat.
