Easy Doughnut Strips (No Yeast)
These easy doughnut strips are inspired by one of my favorite childhood memories. When I was a child, my mom used to make quick yogurt doughnuts for breakfast. My brother and I loved them so much. She used cookie cutters to cut out different shapes. The dough in this recipe is very tender and soft. It is not a good idea to knead and roll it repeatedly. Therefore, my mom fried the end and middle pieces as they were. Sometimes they looked like strips but often they had weird forms. My brother and I were fighting for those end pieces because they were crunchier and we can dip them in jam or honey. We also played a game where we had to come up with a name for that weird shape based on what it looks like.
Recently, I thought that it would be great to make this recipe in a stick form. The stick doughnuts have more delicious crust and are easy to dip in condiments. When you fry them they still puff a little. This makes them, hollow in the middle and crunchy on the outside. This recipe turned out better than I expected. My family loved it, so I had to share it with you.
Why should you make this recipe?
This recipe uses basic ingredients that everyone has in their fridge and pantry. It also takes only thirty minutes to make. This dough doesn’t require proofing because it doesn’t contain yeast. You mix everything together, roll the dough, cut in strips and it is ready to fry. The perfect easy and delicious breakfast for the weekend.
To make classic doughnuts you need whole milk and yeast. The dough requires extra kneading and time to proof. Unlike regular doughnut dough, this recipe is based on yogurt. Baking powder and baking soda are the main leavening agents. This dough doesn’t require a lot of kneading. Actually, it is the opposite, you should avoid a lot of kneading if you want to achieve the perfect texture.
I love that these strips taste neutral. You can eat them with both sweet and savory condiments. When I was younger, I always started with savory and I finished with sweet. I dipped my yogurt doughnuts in special Bulgarian seasoning, and I ate them with feta. Sometimes I dipped them in a chunky homemade spread made with roasted peppers and tomatoes called, “lutenica”. For dessert I loved to drizzle my donuts in honey.
Helpful tips for making the strips
Add the baking soda in the yogurt and stir. This will activate it and cause more bubbles in the dough.
The baking powder goes in the flour. You can combine it ahead of time or add it when you add the flour.
The dough is sticky, but don’t add more flour to it! The stickier the dough is the lighter and and fluffier the doughnut sticks will be. You can add flour only when you roll the dough. Flour the surface the rolling pin to prevent sticking.
Do not over knead this dough. Mix it enough do the flour is incorporated. Then add it to a floured surface and shape. The more you knead the denser your doughnuts will be.
I used a pizza cutter to cut the sticks, but you can use a knife too.
I ended up with about 40 doughnut strips. That is about 4 servings.
It is very important to keep the oil temperature to medium high. If the oil is too hot the donuts will burn on the outside and remain raw on the inside. If the oil is not heated enough the donut will absorb a lot of oil and become greasy.
Fry the strips for about 30 seconds per side or until golden brown.
Place fried doughnuts on a kitchen paper to absorb the extra fat.
Since the doughnut strips taste neutral you can dip them with sweet or savory condiments. We usually serve the donuts with honey, feta cheese, powdered sugar or hazelnut spread.
Homemade donuts don’t last long. In fact, you have to eat them on the same day that you prepared them. They won’t be good on the next day, even if you store them in the refrigerator.
Easy Doughnut Strips
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup Plain or Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1½ cup all purpose flour plus more for dusting
- ½ baking powder
- ½ cup frying oil I used sunflower oil
Instructions
- Crack an egg in a large bowl. To a smaller bowl add the yogurt and the baking soda. Stir them together and add them to the egg. Use a fork or a whisk to beat them until combined.
- Add the flour and baking powder to the wet ingredients. Stir until you get a wet dough. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and form a bowl. Do not knead. Dust dome more flour on top of the dough and roll to a rectangle. About 9 x 12 inches. Trim the edges and slice it vertically to long strips. Then cut the rectangle in the middle to split the strips in half.
- In a a 9 inch frying pan add ½ cup of oil and heat it to medium heat (360-375 F). Place few dough strips in the hot oil with enough space between them so they don’t stick to each other. Fry for 30 seconds per side. Flip as soon as the strips are golden brown. Once you get them out of the pan place the doughnut strips on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
- Serve the doughnut strips with your favorite sweet or savory condiments.
