Sonhos
Sonhos means “dreams” in Portuguese — and that is how they taste. They are light, hollow balls of choux dough, fried in oil and rolled in cinnamon sugar. In many Portuguese homes they appear on the Christmas Eve table. They are made from choux dough as for profiteroles, only with less butter. Instead of being baked, the dough is dropped by the spoonful into not-too-hot oil: the balls puff up, split and usually turn over by themselves. They are best still warm, on the day they are fried.
Your own work in that: 15 min.
- Choux dough 15 min
- Cooling 10 min
- Adding the eggs 10 min
- Frying in batches 30 min
- Cinnamon sugar 5 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneBoil water with butter
Bring the water to the boil with the butter, salt and lemon zest until the butter melts.
Ingredients: 250 ml water · 50 g butter · 1 pinch salt · 1 pcs lemon, grated zest · 150 g plain flour · 4 pcs eggs · 1000 ml oil for frying
Cook the flour
Lower the heat, tip in all the flour at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for 1–2 minutes, until the dough forms a smooth ball that pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Ingredients: 250 ml water · 50 g butter · 1 pinch salt · 1 pcs lemon, grated zest · 150 g plain flour · 4 pcs eggs · 1000 ml oil for frying
A ball pulling away from the sides — the flour is cooked.Cool the dough
Transfer the dough to a bowl and cool 10 minutes, stirring now and then. Hot dough would scramble the eggs.
Ingredients: 250 ml water · 50 g butter · 1 pinch salt · 1 pcs lemon, grated zest · 150 g plain flour · 4 pcs eggs · 1000 ml oil for frying
Add the eggs
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well each time with a mixer or spoon. Beat the last egg and add it gradually: the dough should be smooth, glossy and fall from the spoon in a thick ribbon, but not be runny.
Ingredients: 250 ml water · 50 g butter · 1 pinch salt · 1 pcs lemon, grated zest · 150 g plain flour · 4 pcs eggs · 1000 ml oil for frying
Heat the oil
Heat the oil in a wide, deep pan to 160°C (you can start while the dough cools) — a lower temperature than usual lets the balls rise before they brown.
Ingredients: 250 ml water · 50 g butter · 1 pinch salt · 1 pcs lemon, grated zest · 150 g plain flour · 4 pcs eggs · 1000 ml oil for frying
Fry in batches
Scoop the dough with one spoon (about 25 g — the whole batch makes about 24 balls) and push it into the oil with another, 6 balls at a time. Fry 6–8 minutes, until puffed, split and golden all over — they usually turn by themselves; if not, turn them with a spoon. Frying all 4 batches takes about 30 minutes.
Ingredients: 250 ml water · 50 g butter · 1 pinch salt · 1 pcs lemon, grated zest · 150 g plain flour · 4 pcs eggs · 1000 ml oil for frying
They puff up and turn by themselves.Drain
Lift the sonhos out with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper.
Ingredients: 250 ml water · 50 g butter · 1 pinch salt · 1 pcs lemon, grated zest · 150 g plain flour · 4 pcs eggs · 1000 ml oil for frying
Roll in sugar
Mix the sugar with the cinnamon and roll the still-warm sonhos in it. Serve at once.
Ingredients: 100 g sugar · 2 tsp cinnamon
While warm — the sugar sticks.
Before you start
With syrup
In some Portuguese homes sonhos are drizzled with a syrup of sugar, water and orange peel instead of sugar.
Safe frying
Fry in a deep pan filled no more than halfway with oil, and never leave it unattended. The balls split in the oil and may spatter — do not lean over the pan. A kitchen thermometer helps keep 160°C.
Storage
Sonhos are best on the day they are fried. The next day refresh them 5 minutes in an oven at 180°C and roll them in the remaining cinnamon sugar.
