A Traditional Ghanaian Bofrot Fried Dough

Make this well-loved dish at home.

When we think of thanksgiving dessert, we usually think of pumpkin or pecan pie, maybe an apple crumble… all delicious! But this year, we’re going to think outside the box with a delectable Ghanaian street food dessert, which comes in the form of a donut!

INGREDIENTS

Wet Ingredients

Spiced Sugar

Roasted Pumpkin Glaze

METHOD

Place all ingredients into a large measuring cup or the cup of a hand blender and blend until
well incorporated. Adjust and add evaporated milk if needed until a light glaze consistency.

To Make Dough by Hand 

  1. Sift or whisk together all the dry ingredients, making a small well in the middle.
  2. Mix together all of the wet ingredients and pour into the well.
  3. Mix with a spatula or by hand, incorporating everything into one ball of dough. The dough should
    feel a bit sticky.
  4. Lightly dust the work surface and knead the dough until smooth, about 5 ish minutes.
  5. When you can get a smooth ball and the dent your finger makes bounces back, it is ready to rest.
  6. Place the ball of dough and cover in a buttered bowl to rest until it just about doubles in size.

To Make Dough with a Stand Mixer 

  1. Sift dry ingredients into the mixer bowl and whisk to evenly distribute all ingredients.
  2. Mix all wet ingredients into a measuring cup.
  3. Using the dough hook, slowly pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the mixer on low.
    Once everything is in, slowly increase speed as it brings the dough together.
  4. Let the mixer knead the dough for a few minutes until it becomes smooth.  The dough is
    ready to rest when you can poke it with your finger and it bounces back.  The dough should
    be a little sticky.
  5. Transfer the dough to a clean buttered bowl and cover to rest until about doubled in size.

Once Dough has Risen: 

  1. Once the dough has risen, gently pull it from the buttered bowl and place it onto a lightly
    floured surface, careful not to completely deflate the dough.  It will decrease in size though.
  2. Lay and lightly form the dough into a wide log.
  3. Cut the log in half into two thinner logs and then cut into 14 (or more if you’d like smaller portions) equal portions (seven equal pieces per log). You can also cut and portion each into approximately 14 x 65g portions.
  4. To roll, flip each piece over and pull the outer edges into the centre, then, using the side
    fleshy part of your hand, roll the seam to seal it.
  5. You can also roll the dough on the table to seal it and get a smooth skin on top, being careful not to deflate the ball.
  6. Heat a pot of oil or your deep fryer to 325- 250 degrees. You don’t want the oil too hot, or the
    inside will not cook and the outside will brown or burn. let the balls float, turning every so
    often to brown evenly.
  7. Remove to a paper towel covered plate once evenly golden browned and lighter in weight. If coating in spiced sugar, remove from oil and coat directly into sugar.
  8. Roll the ball around until coated and place it onto a serving plate.
  9. If coating with pumpkin glaze, place slightly cooled bofrot into the pumpkin glaze bowl and
    rotate with a fork until fully covered.
  10. Lift the bofrot out of the glaze with a fork and tap gently before placing onto a rack or plate.  Some glaze will settle and pool on the plate or under the rack, so let rest for 10 minutes or so before transferring to the final serving plate.