Farmer's Cheese Doughnuts (Túrófánk)

Túrófánk with red currant jam

Doughnuts are often considered a delicious, but very tricky and time-consuming project to undertake. So when a family friend showed me this delicious Hungarian recipe that took less than 20 minutes to whip up, I was blown away. This recipe doesn't include yeast, so you don't have to worry about any of the finicky steps that dough often demands. Instead, it uses farmer's cheese to make soft pillowy dumplings. You can serve these as a sort of deconstructed jelly doughnut, sprinkled with powdered vanilla (or regular!) sugar and a dollop of jam. Apricot and red currant jam are both delicious with these doughnuts - but feel free to try them with other toppings. 

Here's the recipe:

• 8 oz. farmer's cheese, unsalted
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 2 heaping tbsp. cream of wheat
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 cup sour cream or yogurt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• oil for frying
• powdered vanilla sugar for dusting
• preserves, to serve

1. Take 8 ounces of farmers cheese, and whisk until smooth.

I used half of this box - remember to make sure it's unsalted. 

2. Whisk in eggs, flour, cream of wheat, baking powder, sour cream, and sugar one by one. This is your completed batter.

The batter here is still a little lumpy - it hasn't been whisked through yet.

3. Heat oil for frying in a deep pan.

4. When oil is sufficiently hot, take a tablespoon and begin spooning the batter into the oil. Try to make sure the dumplings are about the same size to ensure even cooking time. 

5. Line a plate with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Fry the doughnuts until they are golden brown, and then transfer them to the plate to cool for a few minutes. 

6. Once all the doughnuts have been fried, transfer them to a serving plate and dust with regular or vanilla powdered sugar. 

7. Serve warm with preserves (apricot or currant work especially well) for dipping. Enjoy!