Directions: |
Directions: In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a regular mixing bowl if making by hand) whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Create a small depression in the center and pour in the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Whisk in the oil. Gently pour in the warm water and knead the dough until it is smooth.
It only takes one to two minutes using the dough hook in a stand mixer. If kneading by hand, gently knead in the bowl until the dough sticks together.
Place on a lightly floured surface and continue until the dough is smooth. Divide the dough in half, and seal each half in a zipper lock bag to rest the dough while you heat the oil for frying. Heat frying oil in a stove top dutch oven, or in a heavy-duty frying pan, to around 340 to 350 degrees. The oil should be at least 2 inches deep. Remove one portion of dough and roll out on a clean, flourless surface.
Roll the dough to a thickness of ⅛ inch. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into squares approximately 4 X 4 for a nice restaurant look. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the rolled out dough. It's very important the dough stay moist and not dry out. Gently place an individual square of dough into the hot oil. It should begin to puff up within about 5 seconds. Carefully splash oil over the top, this really seems to help the sopaipilla puff. Once it's finished puffing up, fry until it reaches a light golden brown on both sides. Place in a large bowl lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining dough. Serve immediately with honey.
New Mexican Sopaipillas Recipe Tips
To those having problems getting a good “puff” out of your Sopaipillas, here are some tips, all of which are related to keeping your oil at the right temperature:
Use adequate oil. You want at least an inch depth of oil to fry in. Contrary to what some believe, more oil in the pot means less oil in your food, because the temperature stays more constant, and the food finishes cooking before it begins sucking up oil.
You need a candy/fry thermometer. Don’t trust strange voodoo methods like timing the cooking of bread cubes. Don’t trust your electric skillet’s temperature controller (mine is off by about 75 degrees!) Spend $10 and buy a thermometer. There’s no excuse to guess at the temperature when it’s so cheap and easy to measure it.
Don’t overload the oil. When I made these, I was frying no more than 2 sopapillas at a time. Putting food into hot oil is like dropping an ice cube into a warm beverage — the food is going to cool the oil around it. Putting a lot of food in will dramatically drop your oil temperature. This is especially bad if you’re also violating point #1 and not using enough oil. |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: The New Mexican Sopaipillas Recipe is common in Hispanic culture and is a favorite among many Hispanic cuisines. Sopaipillas can be served salty or sweet. Sopaipillas are thought to have originated in Albuquerque, New Mexico, more than 200 years ago. New Mexican sopaipillas are made from Tortilla-like dough. The dough is fried until it is puffy and a small air pocket appears within the pastry. In New Mexico, Sweet Sopaipillas are often covered in honey or some kind of syrup and powdered sugar.
Like the Cynic Philosopher Diogenes of Sinope with his lantern looking for an honest man, I have been looking for Sopaipillas that even begin to compare with those I first encountered in my youth in Albuquerque and which can be found today in restaurants in Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado. My search has been in vain as I have encountered square flat pieces of cooked dough which are called Sopaipillas but do not even begin to offer the joy of this hollow puffed up delight eaten with honey and maybe sugar. One has to make them if one is not privileged to live in Northern New Mexico or Southern Colorado or one has to do without this wonderful creation.
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