Beaver Tails
The beaver tail is a delightful fusion of bannock and a doughnut, making it the ultimate indulgence at a cozy skate shack. It's deep-fried to perfection, boasting a crispy exterior while maintaining a soft and chewy interior. You can choose to cover it with cinnamon and sugar, Nutella, or explore a wide array of other scrumptious flavor options. Oh, Canada!
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water
- 5 tsp active dry yeast
- 4 tbsp butter melted
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 5 cups all purpose flour
- 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil for frying
- 2 cups sugar for dusting
- 2 tbsp cinnamon for dusting
Instructions
How to Make Beaver Tails:
- In a large bowl, combine the yeast with warm water, and 1 teaspoon of sugar, until dissolved. Leave the mix to stand for 4-5 minutes for the yeast to activate and begin to form bubbles.
- Prepare the dough by adding the sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, melted butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the the flour to the yeast mixture. Combine everything a and knead the dough either using a dough hook or your hands adding more warm water or flour as necessary until it becomes firm and elastic (about 8 minutes).
- When done, cover the bowl with a clean cloth, place it in a warm location and allow the dough to leaven for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Next, take a medium-sized pot and fill it with about 2 inches (5 cm) of oil. Heat to 350 °F/ 176 °C.
- While the oil is heating up, transfer the risen dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface and divide it into 8 pieces.
- Take each dough piece and shape it into a ball by pulling the outer edges toward the bottom center of the dough ball. Let these dough balls rest, covered, for 15 minutes.
- In a bowl, combine 2 cups (400 g) of sugar with 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, mixing them together until even.
- Check the oil’s temperature by tearing off a small piece of dough and see if it sizzles and floats to the surface.
- Once the dough has rested and the oil has reached the desired temperature, use a rolling pin to flatten the dough balls into oblong shapes, similar to a beaver's tail. These should be very thin, approximately ¼ inch thick or less.
- One at a time, gently place the flattened dough into the hot oil. Fry each piece for about 30 to 60 seconds on each side, using tongs or chopsticks to flip the dough.
- Once fried, remove the beaver tail from the oil and allow any excess oil to drip off for a moment before dipping it into the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Ensure it is fully coated on both sides.
- You can customise them however you like by drizzling chocolate or caramel sauce on top and adding fruit like banana or strawberry slices. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
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