Old man winter is finally approaching!
This is one of my favorite times of the year. Heaters kick on, fireplaces are lit, the smell of pot roast comes from the oven, and there’s soup on the stove.
It’s this time of year that we bake holiday cookies, break out our big sweaters, and my personal favorite – enjoy my grandma Bunny’s homemade pohaja (pronounced poe-hay-uh). Every year, about this time, my grandma gets out her fryer and whips up the best tasting treats you will ever eat!
If you like donuts and sugar (and you’re not watching your calories) you will really enjoy my grandma’s recipe.
The fry bread/cake donut flavor is perfect in the morning with a cup of coffee, or it makes a great dessert.
Pohaja is traditional Austrian fry bread that my grandmother’s grandmother made. She passed the recipe down to my grandma, my grandma passed it to my mom, and my mom has now passed it on to me.
The shape of the pohaja is really determined by the person making them, but I have always known them to be in an “E” shape. The only trick to cutting them is to make sure there is a cut in the center, so the oil can fry them evenly.
Traditionally, the recipe calls for red wine, but over the years my family has replaced the red wine with apple juice to make them sweeter. They are very simple, and are sure to be a hit in any household.
I really hope you try this recipe and it becomes a staple in your family like it has in mine!
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You will need:
- 12 cups flour
- 3 1/2 cups sugar (plus more for coating the finished product)
- 3 heaping tablespoons baking powder
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 1/2 can water (use the evaporated milk can)
- 1/2 can apple juice (use the evaporated milk can)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 stick of butter
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 6 eggs
- Lard or Crisco for frying
Mix all ingredients together to make soft (not sticky) dough.
Knead dough for about five minutes, and then cover it with a towel and let it sit in a warm area for about an hour.
Roll out dough until it’s about a half-inch thick. Using a clean pair of scissors, cut dough into strips an inch and a half to two inches wide (vary the size depending on how big you would like them), and then cut the strips into squares.
Put two slits in one side of the square, not cutting all the way across, to make an “E” shape. Fry dough squares in oil until golden brown on both sides.
Remove from oil and toss in a bag with cinnamon and sugar, regular sugar, or powdered sugar.
Enjoy!
Sammi is a student of The Culinary Institute of Montana at Flathead Valley Community College. For more information about the program, visit www.culinaryinstituteofmt.com or call Instructor Hillary Ginepra at 756-3862.