This traditional Neapolitan donut is light, zesty and delicious! Graffe are typically prepared for Carnevale in Napoli and made of a potato base with a hint of lemon then tossed in granulated sugar. These are easy to make at home but require a little time for rising! This recipe from Laura Vitale makes 24 graffe.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup milk, slightly warm
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading the dough
- 1 1/2 cups mashed boiled potatoes (from about 1 pound potatoes; peeled and boiled until very soft)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons limoncello, optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 large egg
- Zest of 1 small lemon
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- Vegetable or canola oil, for frying
Process:
- Mix together the milk and yeast in a small bowl and set aside for a couple minutes.
- Mix together the flour, mashed potatoes, butter, limoncello if using, vanilla, salt, egg, lemon zest, the milk and yeast mixture and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a large bowl until it forms into a dough (it will be sticky at this point).
- Dump it onto a well-floured surface and knead until the dough comes together and is nice and smooth and no longer sticky (this might cause you to use a bit more flour than you might expect, so keep some on hand).
- Once your dough is ready, line a large baking sheet with a lint-free kitchen towel and sprinkle the towel lightly with flour.
- Cut little pieces (the size you cut depends on how big you want the doughnuts to be; I make them small, so I cut pieces as big as a golf ball) of the dough and roll each one out into a 6-inch rope, then pinch the ends together to form a circle.
- Place on the baking sheet, leaving a few inches of space between. Continue forming the rest and once you’re all done, cover them with another kitchen towel and allow them to rise in a warm spot until they have doubled in volume, about an hour.
- Put the remaining 2 cups sugar in a baking dish. Pour enough oil into a large pot to come up the sides a few inches and heat until a deep-frying thermometer registers 350 degrees F.
- Drop a few doughnuts at a time in the oil and cook until golden brown, turning once, about a minute per side.
- Drain on a paper-towel lined plate, then immediately roll them in the sugar to coat.
- Repeat with the remaining doughnuts.
Best when they are hot so dig in!
Source
- Featured and main photo (Pinterest)
- Recipe by Laura Vitale
