Sfenj

Name: Sfenj
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1.5 tsp active dry yeast; 1 tsp granulated sugar; 1 tsp fine salt; 1 1/4 cups warm water; 3 cups vegetable oil; 1/4 cup honey

Traditional North African yeast donuts fried until golden and crisp on the outside with a soft, chewy interior. Best enjoyed hot, dipped in honey or sprinkled with sugar.

35 minMediumServes 4310 cal/serving

MoroccanBreakfastStovetopVegetarianHalal-friendlyKosher-styleNut-FreeDairy-FreeEgg-FreeSoy-FreeShellfish-FreeSesame-FreeLow-SodiumPork-FreeAlcohol-FreeNightshade-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp fine salt
1 1/4 cups warm water
3 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey

Instructions

1

In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1.5 tsp active dry yeast, 1 tsp granulated sugar, and 1 tsp fine salt.
2

Gradually add 1 1/4 cups warm water and beat vigorously until a sticky, elastic dough forms.
3

Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled in size.
4

Heat 3 cups vegetable oil in a deep pot over medium heat to 350 degrees F.
5

Wet your hands with water, pull off a portion of dough, stretch it into a ring, and drop it into the oil.
6

Fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown and puffed, then drain on paper towels.
7

Drizzle warm 1/4 cup honey over top before serving.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Questions

What is Sfenj?

Traditional North African yeast donuts fried until golden and crisp on the outside with a soft, chewy interior. Best enjoyed hot, dipped in honey or sprinkled with sugar. This reference files it under Moroccan breakfast: made on the stovetop, rated medium and about 35 minutes start to finish.

How hot should the oil be for Sfenj?

For Sfenj, the frying oil is held at 350 F (about 175 C) in step 4. Hotter scorches the outside before the inside cooks, and cooler turns it greasy.

What can I use instead of yeast in Sfenj?

The entry for Sfenj calls for 1.5 tsp active dry yeast. In its place: Instant and active dry yeast swap measure for measure. Active dry wants five minutes in warm liquid first, while instant goes straight into the flour.

Is Sfenj vegan?

No, though it is vegetarian. What keeps it from vegan is 1/4 cup honey. For fully plant-based entries, see the vegan breakfast collection.

Can I start Sfenj the day before?

Yes. Step 3 is a built-in pause of 1 hour: "Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled in size." Do everything up to that point ahead of time and pick up at step 4 when you are ready to finish.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,530 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.