by: Eric Adjepong
Cook Time
20 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Yield
12 bofrot
@CHEFERICADJEPONG
“Bofrot, or puff-puff, is a great holiday dish and a real crowd-pleaser.”
Total Time
20 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Yield
12 bofrot
summary
Bofrot has always been a part of my life. At any Ghanaian celebration or get together, you’ll see aunties making bofrot, fishing the sweet, golden-brown balls out of a large pot of fryer oil and then letting them drain on paper towels before they’re devoured by children and adults. I also make bofrot often at home, coating the freshly fried balls in cinnamon and sugar before giving them to my daughter. She loves bofrot as much as I did when I was her age. It’s one of her favorite things to eat, and watching her enjoy them reminds me of myself in my own childhood.
ingredients
- Bofrot Dough:
- 1½ cups (366g) whole milk, lukewarm (110°F)
- 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- ⅔ cup (134g) sugar, divided
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon calabash nutmeg or freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 cups neutral oil, for frying
- Non-stick cooking spray
- Spiced Sugar (optional):
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
directions
- To make the bofrot dough, add the warm milk to a medium bowl, sprinkle with the active dry yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar, and stir to combine. Set aside until the yeast begins to foam, 5 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the remaining sugar with the flour, salt, and ground nutmeg and whisk to combine.
- Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon or your hands until there are no visible lumps of flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise at room temperature until there are bubbles all over the surface of the dough and it has doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
- Heat the oil in a 10-inch straight-sided skillet over medium heat to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack.
- Spray a medium ice cream scoop (you can also use clean hands or a large dinner spoon) with a bit of cooking spray, then scoop the batter in 1 tablespoon portions into the oil, make sure not to overcrowd the pan—fry about 6 donuts per batch. Fry, flipping occasionally, until golden-brown all over and the dough reaches an internal temperature of 190ºF, 4 to 6 minutes total. (See the Note if the bofrot are browning too quickly.) Remove with a slotted spoon and place on the rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- If desired, make the spiced sugar. In a small bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined. Toss the warm puff-puff in the mixture to coat.
- Serve the bofrot warm or at room temperature.
notes
If the Ghanaian donuts aren’t cooked all the way through after frying, arrange them on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350°F until a thermometer inserted into the center reads about 190°F.
