Our Homemade Sopapillas Will Have You Wondering Why You Didn't Make Them Sooner
Sopapillas are a fried dough often served as dessert in Tex-Mex restaurants and are very beloved in New Mexico. They can be coated in cinnamon sugar, as ours are, or dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Where I grew up in Oklahoma, the best Tex-Mex restaurants would give them out for free after your meal and serve them with honey to drizzle over. There’s always one spot in a sopapilla that puffs up the highest, and the absolute best method for eating a sopapilla is to poke a hole in that part and fill the hollow inside with honey. These are some of the easiest fried doughs to make at home: Because they aren't yeasted like donuts or beignets, they require very little resting time before they’re ready to fry!
Yields: 18
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Ingredients
3 c.
(360 g.) all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
2 1/2 tsp.
baking powder
3/4 tsp.
kosher salt
3 tbsp.
lard or shortening
3/4 c.
(150 g.) granulated sugar
2 tsp.
ground cinnamon
Vegetable oil, for frying
Honey, for serving
Directions
In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Add lard and work into flour mixture with your hands until pea-size pieces form. Add 1 cup warm water and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined, then knead with your hands a few times to ensure dough is hydrated. Cover and let rest 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk sugar and cinnamon.
Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, working with one half at a time, roll dough to a square about 1/8" thick. Cut dough into 9 (3") squares. Repeat with remaining dough.
Into a large, heavy pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer, pour oil to a depth of 3". Heat over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 375°.
Working in batches to not overcrowd the pot, fry sopapillas, turning halfway through and adjusting heat as needed to keep oil at 375°, until puffed and golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to cinnamon sugar and toss to coat.
Arrange sopapillas on a platter. Serve warm with honey alongside.
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