Egg Sfiniz Or Sfinz Libyan Doughnut Food

SFENJ - DEEP FRIED MOROCCAN DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Make yeast starter by dissolving 2 TBS. sugar and 1/2 teaspoons salt in 4 TBS. warm water in a small bowl. Stir in 1 TBS. dried active yeast. Let proof 15 minutes.
• Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle with your hands. Pour the yeast mixture into the well and begin to mix with your hand. Add a little warm water from time to time as mix, until it is the consistency of a stiff dough.
• Knead dough for 10-15 minutes by machine OR by hand:pulling the dough away from the bowl, slapping it down and kneading it into the bowl again with the heel of your hand, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Little by little, add remainder of water, sprinkling 2 TBS. at a time into the bowl. Knead the dough in the bowl until water is dissolved, continuing until the dough is spongy, very elastic and very sticky.
• Oil a mixing bowl lightly. Oil your hands and push dough down into the center of the original bowl with oiled hands until you can easily pick it up and transfer to the oiled bowl. Wipe any dough that might stick to your hands, dip fingers in oil again, and turn dough over in bowl. Then cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and allow to rise 1 -1 1/2 hours.
• When dough is risen, punch it down in bowl with your fist. Heat frying oil in a pan or deep fryer.
• When oil is hot, oil the fingers of both hands. Take a piece of dough approximately the size of a small egg and make a hole in the center using your fingers and twirl the dough to enlarge hole to size of a golf ball. Plunge ring of dough into hot oil. The dough will puff up.
• Turn the rings once or twice until golden on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to drain dry on kitchen paper.
• Serve hot. May dip in sugar or honey or jam if desired.

EGG SFINIZ (OR SFINZ), LIBYAN DOUGHNUT

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine the sugar, salt, baking powder and yeast with 1/2 cup room temperature water, cover and set aside for 10 minutes to activate. Sift the flour into a bowl then add the yeast mixture and mix together to form a dough, gradually adding the 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Bring the dough together as a ball then knead, return to the bowl, cover and set aside in a warm place to raise for 3 hours. Lightly knock the dough back then cut into 10-12 equal pieces. Add 1 tsp butter to each piece and knead to fold in. Place on a greased tray, cover and set aside to raise for 2 hours. Oil a dinner plate. put one dough ball in the middle of the plate. Flatten each ball to the same shape as the plate, dipping your hands in oil as needed. The edges should be a bit thicker than the center, like a pizza crust. Fry in about 2 1/2 inch deep hot oil. Fry the first side until golden brown. The sfiniz should balloon and pop. Turn the sfiniz, placing the whole egg in the center. Push the sfinz down with a spatula and spoon hot oil on top to fry the egg as well. Once the egg has set, flip to brown the egg side. Egg sfinz are great rolled up with a slice of cheese, or just plain, and the egg can be hard or runny.