Crispy Fried Dough
This Fried Dough recipe is a fairground favorite that’s easy to make at home. The dough fries up golden and crisp on the outside while staying soft and chewy inside. Add powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, or your favorite toppings for a treat that tastes just like the county fair.
🍽️ Recipe Name: Fried Dough
⏰ Ready In: 1 hour 40 minutes
⏳ Prep Time: 5 minutes
🍞 Bread Machine: 1 hour 20 minutes
🔥 Cook Time: 20 minutes
👥 Serves: 8
🥕Main Ingredients: Flour, yeast, sugar, water, oil
🍳 Special Equipment: Deep fryer or heavy pot
⭐ Why You’ll Love It: Crispy outside, soft inside, and tastes just like fair food.
👇 Full measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.
Fried dough goes by many names, depending on the area of the world you’re from. Dough dodgers and elephant ears in the US., Beaver tails in Canada, Zeppolle in Italy, Spainish and Latin American versions are sopapillas and buñuelos, krapfen in Germany, pączki in Poland, and so many others. Each culture around the world has some version of fried bread. The majority of them are yeast dough but some are leavened with baking powder. Many of them start with a simple yeast dough similar to bread or pizza dough.
Why You’ll Love This Fried Dough
- It tastes like the fried dough you get at fairs and carnivals.
- The ingredients are simple pantry staples.
- You can customize the toppings.
- It’s crispy on the outside and soft inside.
What You Need
- Flour: Gives the dough structure.
- Yeast: Helps the dough rise and creates a light texture.
- Sugar: Feeds the yeast and adds a touch of sweetness.
- Salt: Balances the flavor.
- Water: Brings the dough together and hydrates the flour.
- Oil: Peanut oil or vegetable oil fries the dough until golden brown and crispy.
How to Make Them
I use my bread machine, so this recipe only has a few minutes of hands-on time.
Add warm water to the bread machine. The water should be 105-115°F.
Pour in the flour, salt, and sugar.
Make a well in the middle of the flour. Add the yeast to that.
Run the bread machine on the dough-only cycle. Most bread machines take about 1 hour twenty minutes to finish kneading the dough.
Drop the dough on a floured board.
Cut off a piece with a knife or a bench scraper.
Form the piece of dough into a disk shape.
Carefully drop the dough disk into hot oil, (400°F) and fry bread until it is golden brown.
Flip the bread with tongs and fry the second side until it is golden-brown. Remove the fried dough to a paper towel-lined plate.
Pro Tips
- Add dough to the hot oil slowly, the oil should come back up to 400°F before adding the next piece.
- Use a candy thermometer or instant read thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil.
- Peanut oil has a higher smoke point, so it is a good choice. Instead of peanut, use vegetable oil if that’s what you have in the pantry.
- Keep finished fried dough warm between batches in a low oven (250°F).
At fairs across the Northeast, fried dough is most often served with powdered sugar. Cinnamon sugar is another favorite. Some people prefer savory toppings like garlic butter, cheese sauce, or marinara.
How to Serve Them
There are lots of sweet and savory ways to change up these delicious breads.
- Dip or drizzle them with maple syrup or honey.
- Dust them with confectioners’ sugar or roll them in cinnamon sugar.
- Dip them in warm cheese sauce or marinara sauce.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container for 24 hours. They are best served fresh, but they can used in a hot sandwich the next day. Warm them in the air fryer so the crust crisps back up.
More Dessert Recipes
- Sopapillas
- Apple Fritters
- Churros
- Caramel Corn
Tools That Make This Recipe Work
- Cast iron skillet: A heavy cast iron skillet holds heat well, which helps the oil stay at a steady temperature for evenly cooked fried dough.
- Candy thermometer: Keeping the oil at the right temperature prevents greasy dough and helps create a crisp, golden exterior.
- Tongs: Long-handled tongs make it easy to safely flip and remove the fried dough without splashing hot oil.
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
County Fair Fried Dough
Ingredients
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoons Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 1 package active dry yeast
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat the water and add it to your bread machine.
- Add the flour, sugar and salt. Make a well in the center of the the flour.
- Pour the yeast into the well. Turn the bread machine on to dough only mode.
- When the dough cycle completes, turn the dough onto a floured board. Cut a piece of dough off with a sharp knife or a bench scraper.
- Press the dough done into a disk shape with the tips of your fingers.
- Heat the oil to 400°F in a wide, deep cast-iron skillet. Carefully drop a dough disk into the hot oil.
- After the dough comes back to 400 °F, add another dough disk.
- Fry until golden brown on the first side. Carefully flip them with tongs and fry the second side until golden.
- Drain the dough on paper towels to remove some of the grease. Serve hot.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky's Amazon Store!Notes
- Add dough to the hot oil slowly, the oil should come back up to 400°F before adding the next piece.
- Use a candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil.
- Peanut oil has a higher smoke point, so it is a good choice. Instead of peanut, use vegetable oil if that’s what you have in the pantry.
- Keep finished fried dough warm between batches in a low oven (250°F).
