Koeksisters

(pronounced: cook + sisters)


Never, ever, EVER did I think I would attempt to make this famous South African sweet treat anywhere in my "baking future" - all on my own, rotating between really hot oil and near freezing cold syrup! Mostly because everyone always told me: "O man, that's a big job!"

But, you know, living in NZ now, I can't just pop into the local SPAR and buy a dozen of koeksisters anymore. I was craving them. So what's a girl to do....?

Yes, I found a recipe, made the syrup, left it in the fridge for 24hrs, started with the pastry the following day, made the koeksisters, placed them in the fridge..... and they were all eaten up by day two. 

Sweet, syrupy and just addictive! If I can make them, anyone can!

Ingredients for dough:

• 2 cups cake flour

• 2 tablespoon baking powder

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 large egg

• 4 tbsp butter/margarine

• ½ cup of water

• oil for frying

Ingredients for syrup:

• 1kg sugar

• 1 ½ cinnamon sticks

• ½ tsp ground ginger

• 1 ½ cups of water

• juice of one lemon

Method: syrup

Prepare the syrup a day before (it needs to be very cold). Dissolve sugar in the water. Add the spices and lemon juice to this and boil together. Leave the syrup cool in the fridge overnight.

Method: dough

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Rub in the butter and mix until pliable.
Mix this with the egg and water (adding the water a little at a time). Work the dough well. 

If the dough appears to be lumpy and sticky, continue to work the dough until it will ball up.
Let the dough rest at room temperature for about three hours (under an inverted mixing bowl).

Prepare the koeksisters:

• Roll out the dough (thickness 5mm).
• Cut the dough into strips of 6cm long, 2cm wide.
• Cut each of these strips into three strips (not all the way through, leave the strips connected at the top).
• Plat each strip, pinch together at the end of the strip.
• Deep fry until golden brown.
• Remove and drain quickly – dip the hot koeksisters in the cold syrup (that was stored in the fridge up to now).
• The secret is to keep the syrup cold and the koeksisters hot, this way it will draw just the right amount of syrup.
• You can keep the syrup cold by keeping the syrup bowl in another container filled with iced water.

Thank you to Just Easy Recipes -http://www.justeasyrecipes.co.za/2009/08/27/koeksisters/

Preparing the Koeksister

Into the oil they go!