Kaz lokmasi – Honey Bites

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 cm lemon peel, approx., thinly peeled
• 100 g sugar
• 300 ml water
• 250 g flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 20 g yeast
• 1 tbsp honey
• 150 ml water, lukewarm
• 100 ml milk
• 50 ml sunflower oil
• ¾ liter sunflower oil for frying
• 3 tbsp oil for the hand and spoon
• Cinnamon powder for sprinkling, approx. 1 tsp

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes

Turkish, vegetarian, non-alcoholic, sweet

To make the sugar water, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, and sugar with 300 ml of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 2 minutes. Allow to cool. Sift the flour into a bowl, make a well, and sprinkle the salt around the edge. Dissolve the yeast and honey in 150 ml of lukewarm water, pour into the flour well, stir in the flour from the edge, and cover and let stand briefly. Heat the milk and oil until lukewarm, stir in the pre-dough, and then knead everything into an elastic, fairly soft dough. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for 1 minute, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Then beat the dough vigorously again. Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 175°C or until bubbles appear when a wooden skewer is inserted into it. Have a small bowl with 2-3 tablespoons of oil ready, and have a teaspoon ready. Rub the palm of your left hand with oil. Using a spatula, place a small portion of dough into your left hand, close your hand, and press out a ball slightly larger than a hazelnut between your thumb and index finger. Dip the teaspoon in oil, remove the ball, place it in the hot fat, and fry until golden brown. Use this method to work up all of the dough and fry thoroughly. Using a slotted spoon, repeatedly turn the balls in the hot oil, remove them, drain the fat on kitchen paper, and let cool slightly. Briefly toss the pieces in the sugar solution; if you don’t like it too sweet, pour the sugar water over the pieces completely and let it soak in. Sprinkle with cinnamon to finish, but it’s not necessary. Serve.