South African Koeksisters Recipe
South African koeksisters are a from-scratch braided donut that's cooked crisp then soaked in sweet spiced syrup. A favorite sweet treat that you can commonly buy in South Africa, and a special taste of home for ex-pats around the world.
Servings 36 Doughnuts
Calories 114kcal
Cost 10
Ingredients
For the koeksister syrup
- 4 cups white sugar 800 g
- 17.9 fl. oz water 530 ml or 2¼ cup
- 1 TBSP lemon juice
- 2½ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp ginger Grated or as a knob about that size
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Pinch fine sea salt 1/8 tsp
For the koeksister dough
- 4 cups self-raising flour 500 g
- ¼ cup white sugar 50 g
- 3½ TBSP unsalted butter 50 g
- 5½ tsp baking powder 20 g
- 6.75 fl. oz milk 200 ml or ¾+⅛ cup
- 1.7 fl. oz cream 50 ml or ¼ cup
- 2 eggs
- Pinch fine sea salt 1/8 tsp
Instructions
- The day before, make the syrup. Heat the water until warm and then add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes, stirring to make sure that all the ingredients dissolve. After ten minutes, take the syrup off the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature before placing the syrup in the fridge. Leave the cinnamon stick and ginger floating in the syrup.
- The next day, make the dough. Place the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Then add the butter and either rub it into the dough with your fingers or cut it in with a pastry knife or two knives crisscrossed together.
- Next add the milk, cream, and eggs and mix well. Roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least thirty minutes.
- Roll the dough out to between a 1/2-1 cm in thickness and then cut into strips about 1cm in width and 6cm in length. Take three of them and press the ends together on one end before plaiting it. When the plait is finished, press the other ends together.
- Heat a pan with about an inch of vegetable oil on low until it starts sizzling when you place a tiny piece of dough in the oil. In the meantime, place your pan of syrup into another pan filled with ice water so as to keep it cold. The syrup needs to be kept very cold from this point on.
- Fry the Koeksisters until golden brown on both sides. Scoop them out of the hot oil with a slotted spoon and transfer them immediately to the syrup. Let them sit there for a minute, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
- The Koeksisters should be oozing with syrup, inside and out. Once all your donuts are made, eat them immediately or store them in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature, and eat within two days.
Notes
You can also refrigerate or freeze koeksisters if you're planning on having them later. Just allow them to come up to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 50g | Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Sodium: 33mg | Sugar: 22g