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Dumplings on kefir are lush

Fluffy Kefir Taratushki (Fried Dough Twists)

A wonderfully light, airy treat from a simple dough. Even with the plainest, most affordable ingredients, you can make everyone's favorite homemade fried cookies. You won't need the oven, because taratushki are cooked in a skillet.

Ropotushka

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Kefir (or soured milk)

Baking soda

0.5

Salt (a pinch)

0.25

Egg

Sugar

Flour

350

Vegetable oil

Powdered sugar (or sugar)

Vegetable oil

200

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 9 % 6 g

Fats 42 % 28 g

Carbohydrates 48 % 32 g

394 kcal

GI: 3 / 0 / 97

Cooking method

Cooking time: 40 min

Step 1:

Gather all the ingredients for the kefir taratushki. Use all-purpose flour and an egg of any size. If you don't have powdered sugar, make your own by grinding sugar in a coffee grinder — homemade is even better, since it has no anti-caking additives, just pure sugar. You can use soured milk in place of the kefir.
Step 2:

Take the kefir out of the fridge 1–1½ hours ahead — it needs to be at room temperature for the dough to turn out well. In a separate bowl, stir the kefir together with the baking soda to start the reaction.
Step 3:

The egg should be at room temperature too. Wash it with a food-safe wash, dry it with a towel, and crack it into the bowl with the kefir. Add the sugar, salt, and vegetable oil and whisk with a fork or whisk until smooth. The salt brings out the flavor.
Step 4:

Take a deep bowl that's easy to mix in. Sift half the flour into it to remove any small bits and aerate the dough. Add the wet mixture to the flour and start kneading.
Step 5:

Add the remaining flour in small portions. Once it gets hard to stir with a spoon, switch to your hands and knead thoroughly.
Step 6:

It should come out very soft and not stick to your hands. Don't make the dough stiff, or you'll end up with rubbery taratushki instead of soft ones.
Step 7:

Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about ¼ inch (0.6–0.8 cm) thick. Cut it with a plain or fluted knife into strips 1–2 inches wide, then into diamonds. Make a slit in the center of each piece and pull one end through it from the bottom, then the other from the top, to twist it. Feel free to get creative here and get the kids involved. Dust your hands, knife, and rolling pin with flour so the dough doesn't stick.
Step 8:

Use a skillet with high sides for frying. Add a good amount of oil, but not so much that the taratushki float in it. Heat the oil over medium — working with very hot oil is dangerous and you could get burned. Fry the taratushki over medium heat on both sides until lightly golden.
Step 9:

Set the finished taratushki on paper towels to blot off the excess oil.

Once the oil has drained and the taratushki have cooled a little, dust them with powdered sugar. Serve them with tea, coffee, or milk.
Taratushki come out soft, tender, and not too sweet. If you like sweeter pastries, add more sugar to the dough or use more powdered sugar. Just remember — the sweeter the dough, the faster it browns.
Keep in mind you may need more or less oil for frying than the recipe lists; it depends on your pan, the dough, and the oil itself.
Be ready to use more or less flour than the recipe calls for. Go by the consistency you want, not the exact amount. To avoid missteps, read up on flour and its properties!
Use an oil with a high smoke point for frying. Every oil is only healthy up to a certain temperature — its smoke point — beyond which it starts to burn and form toxic compounds, including carcinogens. Most unrefined oils have a low smoke point: they're full of unfiltered organic particles that scorch quickly. Refined oils stand up to heat better and have a higher smoke point. Make sure to use a high-smoke-point oil — the most common ones are refined sunflower, olive, and grapeseed oil.
Here's an easy way to tell when the oil is hot enough: dip the tip of a wooden spatula into it. If bubbles gather around it, you're ready to start frying.