Honey Koeksisters
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Makes about 20-30 depending on size
Ingredients:
- 2 cups (300g) cake flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sea salt flakes
- 25g butter, cold small cubes
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup (160ml) buttermilk
- Oil, for frying
Syrup:
- 2 cups (500ml) water
- 800g sugar
- 200ml Goldcrest honey
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Thumb size piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
Method:
To make the syrup:
*Make syrup the night before or place in freezer to get very cold
- In a medium sized pot combine the water, sugar, honey, cinnamon, lemon zest, lemon juice and ginger. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cool, cover and place in the fridge overnight. Strain out the aromatics the next morning and keep syrup refrigerated until koeksisters are about to be fired.
To make the dough:
*Dough can also be made the night before and kept wrapped up in the fridge
Combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a stand mixer bowl. Whisk them together.
Add the butter and rub into the flour.
Fit stand mixer with paddle attachment. Add egg and buttermilk and mix until well combined. Switch paddle for dough hook and knead for a few minutes until the dough is smooth and shiny. (The mixing and kneading can easily be done by hand too.) Press dough into a flat rectangle and wrap with cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Preheat frying oil to 170˚C.
Roll dough out into a 1/2cm thick rectangle on a very lightly floured surface. Cut 3cm strips. Then cut each 3cm strip almost in half leaving an uncut gap at the top. You want them to look like a pair of pants. Twist / braid the two legs together and then pinch together at the bottom so they do not come apart. Continue with the rest of the dough.
Fry the koeksisters in batches until deeply golden brown.
Drain onto paper towel very briefly and then dunk into cold syrup. Use a bowl to keep them submerged in the syrup. Continue the process with the whole batch.
Serve koeksisters with an extra drizzle of GOLDCREST honey and a hot cup of tea.
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