Koeksisters

🧶 Golden braided pastries, fried and dipped in very cold lemon syrup: a sweet with South African influence.

Ingredients

• 🌾 500 g wheat flour
• 🧁 12 g baking powder
• 🧂 4 g fine salt
• 🧈 50 g cold diced butter
• 🥚 1 medium egg
• 🥛 180 ml milk, added gradually
• 🛢️ About 1.2 l neutral oil for frying
• 🍚 For the syrup: 400 g sugar
• 💧 250 ml water
• 🍋 15 ml lemon juice
• 🌿 2 ml vanilla extract and 1 g ground ginger, optional
• 🧊 A large bowl of ice to keep the syrup cold

Preparation

The day before, bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring only until dissolved. Add lemon and, if desired, vanilla and ginger; simmer for 8 min without stirring.

Cool the syrup, cover it and refrigerate for at least 6 h. On frying day, keep it very cold in a bowl set over ice.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Rub in the butter until crumbly. Beat the egg with 150 ml milk and gradually mix it in.

Bring the dough together without lengthy kneading. Add the remaining milk only if it is dry. Cover and rest for 20 min in a cool place.

Roll to 8 mm thick and cut 48 strips about 1 cm wide and 8 cm long. Use three strips per braid and press the ends together to seal.

Heat oil in a deep pot to about 170 °C. Fry the braids in small batches for 2 to 3 min per side until golden, turning once.

Drain briefly, then dip each hot braid in the iced syrup for 20 to 30 seconds. Lift with a slotted spoon and place on a rack.

Keep the syrup cold between batches and wait for the oil to return to temperature. Serve after a few minutes, once the syrup has soaked in without making the dough soggy.