Honey Dumplings

Preparation time: 1h
Portion(s): 4
Difficutly: Level 1

Using our Mani Terra extra virgin olive oil and one of our natural honeys. We definitely propose you Entopia Thyme and Fir BIO or Entopia Thym with honeycomb honey.

Ingredients:
For dumplings:
200 g all-purpose flour
50 g cornstarch
1 package active dry yeast
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon honey
280 g lukewarm water
oil, for frying
For syrup and serving:
250 g water
200 g granulated sugar
1 slice of lemon
1 tablespoon honey
sesame seeds, toasted
ground cinnamon

Method
This is an absolutely delicious traditional Greek sweet served all year round! They are called “Loukoumades”. Their aroma is magnetic and their taste is addictive! Make them fresh and serve them warm with honey, ground cinnamon, toasted sesame seeds or chopped walnuts! They will become your new favorite treat!
We’ll begin by making our syrup since it has to be completely cool when we add it to our dumplings. In a pot, add the sugar, water, lemon and honey and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and transfer to another container so it can cool faster.
In a shallow bowl, add all of the ingredients for the dumplings, apart from the olive oil. Mix with a spoon until it becomes a thick porridge-like mixture. Be careful that the water is hot but at body temperature.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm and dry environment.
Pour the oil into a pot to heat enough to be ready for frying. If you have a thermometer it should read 180°C (356°F).
Prepare these 2 things to have close to you for frying. A glass of water with a teaspoon in it and a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the extra oil from the fried dumplings.
To make our dumplings extra crunchy, we are going to fry them twice!
When the oil is hot enough, place your hand in the bowl with the mixture. Grab hold of some of the mixture in your palm and start to close your hand. The dough will start to be squeezed out from between your thumb and index finger. Holding the teaspoon in your other hand, scoop up the dough that has emerged and drop it into the hot oil.
This is why we have to keep the spoon wet, so that the dough will not stick to it and fall easily into the oil. Dip the spoon into the glass of water next to you after each scoop.
Repeat process until there are enough dumplings in the oil but do not overcrowd the pan. Use a slotted spoon to turn them over so they can cook on the other side too.
Fry the dumplings for a few minutes until they turn a lovely golden. Remove from pan and set onto plate lined with paper towels. Repeat process with the remaining dough.
Let them strain on the plate for a few minutes. Then heat the oil again and fry them one more time in hot oil until they turn golden brown and very crispy.
Remove from pan and drop them in the cooled syrup. They will soak up as much syrup as they need.
Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and toasted sesame seeds!