Kleinur
(Icelandic Doughnuts)
From the kitchen of Deb Helgason West
Kleinur are traditional Icelandic doughnuts. I grew up making them with my mom, Lillian Hall Helgason Myrdal, and now I make them with my brother, Lowell Helgason, each fall so they are ready for the Christmas season.
Expert tip from my mom: To prevent the dough from getting tough, do not “beat the hell out of it!” Lowell and I usually make 2 batches. I also make a couple of batches with my daughters. By the time I have brought them to each of my kids’ homes, they are gone within a day. It is a good idea to hide them in the freezer until the holidays!
The Recipe
Kleinur - (Icelandic Doughnuts)
Makes: 3 (1-gallon) zip-top bags of doughnuts
Prep: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour (per batch)
Watch first: Kleinurs 101 with Lillian Hall Helgason Myrdal
(Note: Follow recipe for exact ingredients.)
Ingredients
4 jumbo eggs
3 cups sugar
1 cup 2% milk
1 heaping teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 heaping teaspoons freshly ground cardamom
½ cup sour cream
8 to 9 cups all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil, for frying
Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs well until light. Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix well.
2. In a measuring cup, stir the milk, baking soda, baking powder, and cardamom. Add to the mixture in the large bowl. Fold in the sour cream.
3. Gradually blend about 6 cups of the flour into the mixture. Do not overmix. Put dough on the counter or cutting board and knead in the remaining 2 or 3 cups of flour.
4. Divide the dough into 3 or 4 equal balls. One at a time, place each dough ball on a floured surface and roll into a long rectangle about ¼-inch thick.
5. With a crinkle cutter, cut the dough into 3 x 1 ½-inch strips. Cut a small slit in the center of each strip and pull one end through the slit.
6. Deep-fry the kleinur in vegetable oil until medium brown. (Do it outside or in the garage if you want to keep the grease smell out of your kitchen.) Put the kleinur on paper to absorb extra grease.
Make it at home
Download the free printable one-page recipe from the cookbook.
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