While its name earns no points for cleverness, fried dough—a piece of yeast dough that has been fried—claims passionate devotees throughout New England, where it is ubiquitous at local and regional fairs and in amusement parks. Resembling a thick, knobby pancake and occupying most of the white paper plate on which it is sold, fried dough is food truck fare. It is always made just moments before getting eaten (like so much fried pastry, its appeal fades as it cools) and can be had two basic ways: sweet, spread with melted butter and cinnamon sugar or maple sugar, or savory, brushed with red tomato sauce. Chocolate sauce, garlic, and melted cheese are other possible toppings Nearly every vendor we have seen officially bills what is sold as fried dough, but nicknames abound, including beaver tails, whale tails, frying saucers, and elephant ears. Fried dough should not be confused with funnel cakes, which are of Pennsylvania Dutch origin and are formed from unleavened dough, making them more crisp than chewy.
Fried Dough with Peanut Butter Topping
The classic formulation for fried dough is either sweet (a dusting of sugar or cinnamon sugar) or savory (pizza sauce). In New Hampshire and Vermont, we’ve eaten it topped with maple butter. Years ago, at the late, great Corky’s pizzeria in East Hartford, Connecticut, we found it offered as dessert, topped with peanut butter.
It’s a grand idea. The peanut butter was sweetened, its silky heft a tantalizing counterpoint to the fragile dough. The only obstacle to enjoying peanut butter– topped fried dough at Corky’s was that Corky’s also happened to be a first-class pizza parlor, where they used a brick oven to turn out pizzas with magnificently chewy yet elegant crusts, as well as gargantuan calzones loaded with sausage, cheeses, sauces, vegetables, the works! There was no way any ordinary appetite could want dessert after a Corky’s meal. So we began to look upon these rounds of fried dough as snacks all by themselves.
4 tablespoons butter, softened
⅔ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup peanut butter
¼ cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening or lard
⅓ cup warm water
Oil for frying
1. First, prepare the topping: Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and peanut butter. Beat in the milk.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the shortening until the mixture is mealy. Slowly add water to form a ragged dough. Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead 2 minutes, or until smooth. Cover with a towel and let rest 15 minutes.
3. Heat the fat in a deep skillet to 375°F. Divide the dough into four equal balls and roll the first one out into a 6-inch circle. To keep it from puffing up, use a sharp knife to cut four or five 1-inch-long slits through the dough. Repeat with the other three balls.
4. Ease a circle of dough into the hot fat. Cook 30 seconds, or until brown, then turn it and cook the other side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Cook the other circles. Spread them with peanut butter topping while the dough is still hot.
4 FRIED DOUGHS