❤️ beaver tails ❤️

this canadian classic fried dough makes for a great weekend treat!

today, quarantine day ??? i started missing canada’s wonderland – the rides, the excitement, and the beaver tails! i figured i’d try my hand at making them from scratch and they turned out perfectly!

for the dough:

• 1 1/4t yeast
• a pinch of sugar
• 1/4c warm water (110F)
• 1/4c warm milk (110F – can be a little warmer if you’re working slowly, giving it time to cool)
• 1.5T sugar
• 1/2t vanilla
• 1/2T ground flax combined with 1/14T water
• 1.5T vegetable/canola oil
• 1 1/4c flour

for frying:

• vegetable oil – enough to fill your deep fryer/heavy-bottomed, tall pan with about 2″ of oil

for coating:

• 3/4c sugar
• 2t cinnamon

method:

1. in a medium bowl, combine the yeast, pinch of sugar, and warm water. set aside for around 5 minutes until foamy and creamy
2. make the flax egg – combine the ground flax and water and let sit for about three minutes to thicken. i used ground brown flaxseed.
3. in a separate, larger bowl, combine the milk, sugar, salt, vanilla, flax egg, and oil. slowly pour in the yeast mixture.
4. add the flour 1/4c at a time, stirring gently to combine. you should end up with a slightly moist dough ball that sticks to your fingers a bit.
5. form the dough into a ball the best you can and allow to double in an oiled and covered bowl for about one hour.
6. when your dough is close to doubling in size, heat the oil. i used a non-stick deep-frying pan. keep it on medium high until about 350F, then reduce to medium. don’t start frying until the oil has reached 370F – adjust the heat as needed if it gets too hot.
7. in a large bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon coating. set aside.
8. punch down the dough and divide into four even balls. roll them out on a floured surface (see below) until quite thin. it’s okay if they look small and sad right now – they’re about to puff up!
9. once as the oil is to-temp, using a skimmer spoon or slotted spatula, gently lower one of the pieces into the oil. be careful! keep a lid on hand in case of a fire.
10. fry for about 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. remove from the oil with the skimmer spoon/spatula and shake gently to remove excess oil. immediately transfer the beaver tail to the cinnamon sugar mixture, and toss to coat. set aside on a cooling rack or lined baking sheet.
11. repeat steps 9-10 with the other three pieces of dough.
12. serve warm! we ate them plain with a bit of lemon juice.

topping ideas: hot fudge sauce (recipe coming soon!), maple syrup, vegan caramel sauce, or jam or fruit compote!

dough before frying!