South African Koeksisters Recipe
This is all you need to know South African Koeksisters Recipe. It is a traditional braided doughnuts that are sweet and mostly dipped in a sweet sticky spiced syrup. It is pronounced as “cook sisters”.
Koeksisters are as unique to South Africans . This deep-fried pastry is braided by hand and comes in various shapes and sizes.
Traditional koeksisters are made with buttermilk but you can replace it with Amasi.
In this recipe, I am going to guide you through the steps in making your own Koeksisters at home.
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EQUIPMENT
Large bowls
Deep frying pan
Wooden spoon
Rolling pin
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Dough:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
A pinch of nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
25 grams butter/ margarine, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup soymilk/ buttermilk or any milk of choice
Any oil of choice for deep frying
Syrup:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon Fresh ginger minced
Fresh squeeze lemon juice (half lemon)
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
1 cup water
DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO MAKE SOUTH AFRICAN KOEKSISTERS RECIPE
Pour white sugar, 500ml water, fresh ginger, cream of tartar, and 1 cinnamon stick in a saucepan over medium heat.
Stir continuously until the sugar has melted. Cook the syrup for 10 minutes, then transfer to a glass bowl. Allow syrup to cool and set aside or place in fridge.
Sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and a pinch of ground nutmeg together. Using your hands, rub in butter or margarine into the flour mixture until it resembles the texture of coarse breadcrumbs.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in Amasi/ buttermilk. Once the dough starts to come together, turn it out onto a clean surface and bring the dough together with your hands.
Knead the dough using a rolling pin or hand until smooth for about 10 minutes. Place the dough in a large clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel and set aside to rise for about an hour.
Divide the dough into 3 parts. Roll out the first piece of dough to a thickness of 5mm thick.
Cut the dough into rectangles that are 5cm wide and 10cm long. Cut 3 equal legs into each rectangle but keep the 5mm at the top uncut so that the pastry doesn’t fall apart once you start braiding it.
Braid each piece of dough by taking the left section and crossing it over the middle one.
Then take the right strand and cross it over the new middle strand.
Keep crossing and alternating all the way down.
Press the ends together and lightly tuck it in under the braid.
Cover them with a damp cloth while you continue with the rest.
On a medium heat, place pan with oil inside on it. Let oil heat up then fry the koeksisters off in batches until golden and crisp for about 2-3 minutes.
Remove them from oil then drain the koeksisters on kitchen papel for 2 minutes
Dipped them immediately into the ice cold syrup.
Keep the koeksisters submerged in syrup for 10-15 minutes.
Remove the koeksisters with a slotted spoon and allow most of the syrup to run off before transferring the koeksisters to a cooling rack.
MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE,BUT BY EVERY WORD(JESUS) THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.kjv
South African Koeksisters Recipe
Ingredients
- Dough:
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- A pinch of nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 25 grams butter/ margarine melted
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup soymilk/ buttermilk or any milk of choice
- Any oil of choice for deep frying
- Syrup:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon Fresh ginger minced
- Fresh squeeze lemon juice half lemon
- 1 cinnamon stick optional
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Pour white sugar, 500ml water, fresh ginger, cream of tartar, and 1 cinnamon stick in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir continuously until the sugar has melted. Cook the syrup for 10 minutes, then transfer to a glass bowl. Allow syrup to cool and set aside or place in fridge.
- Sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and a pinch of ground nutmeg together. Using your hands, rub in butter or margarine into the flour mixture until it resembles the texture of coarse breadcrumbs.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir in Amasi/ buttermilk. Once the dough starts to come together, turn it out onto a clean surface and bring the dough together with your hands.
- Knead the dough using a rolling pin or hand until smooth for about 10 minutes. Place the dough in a large clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel and set aside to rise for about an hour.
- Divide the dough into 3 parts. Roll out the first piece of dough to a thickness of 5mm thick.
- Cut the dough into rectangles that are 5cm wide and 10cm long. Cut 3 equal legs into each rectangle but keep the 5mm at the top uncut so that the pastry doesn’t fall apart once you start braiding it.
- Braid each piece of dough by taking the left section and crossing it over the middle one.
- Then take the right strand and cross it over the new middle strand.
- Keep crossing and alternating all the way down.
- Press the ends together and lightly tuck it in under the braid.
- Cover them with a damp cloth while you continue with the rest.
- On a medium heat, place pan with oil inside on it. Let oil heat up then fry the koeksisters off in batches until golden and crisp for about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove them from oil then drain the koeksisters on kitchen papel for 2 minutes
- Dipped them immediately into the ice cold syrup.
- Keep the koeksisters submerged in syrup for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the koeksisters with a slotted spoon and allow most of the syrup to run off before transferring the koeksisters to a cooling rack.