Puff Puff (Deep-Fried Dough)
My beloved puff puff, a West African street food, is quick and easy with different variations. Dangerously delicious and addictive!
As a child, I often watched in amazement how the women selling the puffs would grab the mixture with the tip of their fingers, roll it in the palm of their hands, and drop it in oil.
I was fascinated by this process and would go home and practice this act with any mixture I had on hand. But it never came out as proportional or as visually appealing as it did for the women. After years of practice as an adult, I can proudly say I finally got the hang of it.
What Is Puff Puff?
People in most West African countries are familiar with the popular street food, known by different names depending on the country. For example, Ghanaians call it bofrot (togbei), Cameroonians and Nigerians call it puff puff, and it’s beignet in French. Basic ingredients are flour, sugar, yeast, water, salt, and oil for deep frying.
It’s easy and quick with various flavors. This recipe is the one I have been making for years and takes me back to my hometown. It brings back memories of happy late-night snacking on the street.
How to Make Puff Puff
- Mix the yeast, sugar, salt, and water to activate the yeast. Stir in the flour, cover, and let the dough rise.
- Heat the oil, drop in the dough balls, and fry until golden.
Tips and Tricks
- If the weather is cold and your dough isn’t rising, turn on the stove for 2-3 minutes until warm. Then turn it off and let the dough rise next to it. Or place your dough in the cold oven and put a pan full of hot water under it. Check after 30 minutes to ensure it’s rising.
- Use a spoon to scoop the dough into the oil if you don’t want to use your hands. It still tastes delicious!
- Avoid overcrowding the pan, as it will cool the oil too much and cause the fried dough to absorb excess oil.
Make-Ahead and Leftover Instructions
I love making the dough ahead for a quick snack. You can keep the raw dough in the fridge (in an airtight container) for up to five days. It will rise in the cold fridge, but it may take a day or two. Then, bring the dough to room temperature and fry.
Keep leftovers tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to a week or freeze them for a month or two. Reheat them in a preheated 350℉ (177℃) oven for 5-10 minutes whenever the craving hits.
What to Serve With Puff Puff
This treat is relished for breakfast, as a snack, or as a side dish. A must-have for me is pepper sauce, but chocolate sauce and cinnamon sugar are fantastic.
Puff puff’s beauty is that you can eat them sweet or savory. I often eat it as a snack or appetizer. My son definitely loves it as a simple dessert with just a bit of powdered sugar. Ginger tea and sorrel drink are a great way to wash them down.
More Addictive Variations to Try
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”pGrRksuf” upload-date=”Mon Aug 06 2018 20:37:44 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”Puff Puff” description=”Puff Puff — A very popular West African street food that’s quick and easy to make with different variations. Dangerously delicious and addicting!”]
This blog post was originally published in November 2012 and has been updated with great tips and new pictures.
Puff Puff (Deep-Fried Dough)
Ingredients
- 2¼ teaspoons (7g) active dry yeast (1 packet)
- ½-¾ cup (100-150g) sugar
- ½ tablespoon (8-9g) salt
- 2 cups (472ml) warm water (+1-2 tablespoons for softer puffs)
- 3½ cups (420g) flour
- vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Mix the yeast, sugar, salt, and water, and set aside for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
- Add the flour and mix well.
- Cover and let it rise for 1-2 hours.
- In a large saucepan, heat at least 3 inches of vegetable oil (7-8cm) on low. Too little oil will result in flatter balls.
- Test to make sure the oil is hot enough by putting a drop of batter into the oil. If it is not hot enough, the batter stays at the bottom rather than rising to the top.
- When the oil is hot enough, grab bits of the mixture with your hands or use a spoon to get small balls of dough and drop them carefully into the oil.
- Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown. Turn the balls over and fry for a few more minutes until the other side is golden brown.
- Use a large spoon or strainer to remove them from the oil. I usually place them on napkins immediately to soak up the excess oil.
- If desired, you can roll the finished product in cinnamon or powdered sugar to make it sweeter.
Tips & Notes:
- For softer puff puffs, add 1-2 tablespoons more water. Some people find the puff puffs a bit hard after they have cooled.
- Feel free to cut back on the salt; a teaspoon of salt will do.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Hi! I’m planning on making this with gluten-free flour. Is there anything different I should do? I’ve only ever made it with regular flour. Thanks!
You can use gluten free flour the same way as the all purpose flour, Yewande. 🙂
I like this recipe a lot. Have been using it ever since my first attempt. Absolutely delicious!
Why does mine comes out uncooked soggy inside??
Hi Ann! It became soggy because it absorbed the oil during frying. This happens when you overcrowd the frying pan with the puff puff dough, the thing is you need to keep the frying oil hot to properly cook the puff puff, and cooking them all at once cool down the oil’s temperature and resulted in a soggy puff puff. Try to fry them in batches the next time you make it. 🙂
thank you
Pls do you have YouTube channel ? Lovely recipe.
Hi Grace! Here is my YT Channel – Immaculate Bites
Made this for wife, and she loved it so much. Easy to follow recipe and simple to prepare. It was my first time, the results were astonishing. I’m making this again as I type this review.
Thanks Immaculate Bites
Next up: African Pepper Sauce
Thank you so much for trying this recipe, Michael. I’m happy to know your wife loved it. Regards to you and your wife. Enjoy my other recipes! 🙂
Delicious!
Thank you, Naomi! 🙂
How do l keep them fresh after a day?
Hi Tee! You can keep them up to a month Frozen. Place in a single layer on parchment paper and freeze . Once puff puff is firm remove and place in sealable or Ziploc bags .
When ready to eat remove place on linked cook sheet or aluminum foil paper and reheat at 300 degrees F , until puff puff is heated through . Remove and serve immediately.
À la fin de la vidéo, vous les mangez avec de la sauce tomate pimentée ? Ça se mange soit version salée en accompagnement (comme des beignets de pommes de terre), soit sucré en dessert ou goûter (comme des beignets au sucre), c’est ça ? Merci.
You are right, Elodie 🙂 Either way is okay. Thank you and I hope you enjoy!
My son loves this puff puff so much. Thank you.
Yay! Thank you!
The recipe is nice.Thanks.What does it mean when a yeast begins to turn brown?
Hi! I can’t really say but it might be because of your flour, too much protein in the flour can turn a yeast brown.
I love this recipe, I’ve used it lots of times now without issues. Thank you!
That’s great! Thank you, Joy! 🙂
I love it!
Thanks
The recipe taste great but my batter was super sticky. So I had a very hard time using my hands to drop them in the oil or with a spoon. Any tricks and recommendations
Next time add about 2 Tablespoons water to the batter.
Thanks for this info but please my question is Can I mix the dough at night then fry it in the morning
You can . However, there will be slight difference in taste .
Our neighbors’ kids love helping with this at their home! Lots of fun–even when it takes a try to realize I had the heat on way too high! It’s particularly yummy when you get the hang of a go at it!
I love this recipe so much.
After the dough has risen well,do I need to mix again to remove d air bubbles before scooping to fry?
No you don’t – proceed with frying the puff- puff.
The nutritional facts are per puff-puff ball?
I love this recipe! My husband loved it so much. Thank you
Great! Thanks