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.
why did my batter not rise? I followed ingredients and measurement.
I can’t say for sure without actually being there. The first thing I would start with is the Yeast.
Great recipe
Definitely try this one. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
How to make the sauce to eat it with
Here’s the link https://www.africanbites.com/african-pepper-sauce/
Thanks so much Africanbites, mine came out so wonderfully well. I couldnt believe it. Ur so good at what you do
Lovely recipe. Please could you share any recipe for dips you use for your puff puff
Sure thing. You can use this African Pepper Sauce here >>> https://www.africanbites.com/african-pepper-sauce/ OR Caribbean Pepper Sauce here >> https://www.africanbites.com/caribbean-pepper-sauce/ Enjoy!
Love your recipes!
Each time I mix my puff-puff it always “drinks” a lot of oil and it’s kind of hard to touch. Any idea on what causes that? Also how do I make the mixture not too sweet.
Hi Fabiola,
Make sure your oil is hot enough before adding the dough, add about 2 tablespoons of water for a softer puff puff.
Cut back on the sweetness by reducing the sugar to about 1/3 cup. Hope this helps. Thanks for trying out my recipes
The cup, please is it the one used in measuring things in the market?(margarine container). Thanks
hi dear tried it but mine was shapeless what do I v 2 do about it thank u
Are you using your hands or a spoon. If dough is too heavy add about 2 tablespoons of water.
Can I use wholewheat flour?
Yes you can. But the texture would be slightly different and you might want to add a few more tablespoons water.
Perfect, I tried it and it was beautiful.thank u
This is by far the most amazing puff puff recipe i have ever tried. Thank you
Hi Imma,
I love your recipes, thank you for sharing. I am Liberian but I have always found puff puff/Kala (Liberians call it Kala) difficult to make and it never comes out right. My daughter and I tried your recipe and it was perfect. This was really easy to follow and make. Thank you.
Can I use self rising flour for this? if so, do I still add the yeast?
Thank you
Hi Hannah, Self rising flour isn’t the best for this recipe. It’s best to use regular flour . However, if you want quick puff puff go ahead and use it without using yeast. Check out this quick puff puff recipe here https://www.africanbites.com/no-yeast-puff-puff/
Hi dear, any alternative for the beer.
Just leave it out and use water.
Hello….please do I stick to active dry yeast or use the instant rise yeast.What do you think?and if I do use the instant rise yes,what measurement pls.
Hello
I have used both of them with good results , same measurement . The difference between active and instant rise yeast is that active dry yeast has a larger granule and needs to be dissolved in water before you use it , while instant yeast has a smaller – fine texture and can be mixed right into dry ingredients.
Enjoy!!
This is amazing recipes you shared with us. Thanks!
Imma your recipes are just so amazing..I’ve been learning a lot of new things from your blog. Gracias!
Dear Immaculate,
I just discovered your blog and so far i am very impressed and your recipes are easy to follow.
I am teaching my daughters how to cook and you have made it sooo easy for me…Thanks a lot and greetings from Kenya.
Can I use bread flour?
Yes you can.
Can I add the flavor of the drop donuts? Nutmeg, vanilla and orange?
You sure can.
Can I use rice flour for a gluten free option?
You sure can. However, the texture might not be the same
This recipe is amazing!!!!
Foolproof, perfect t tasting, rounded puffpuff EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!
Thank you so much.
Only change I made was to use 3.5 to 4 cups of water instead and that gives me very fluffy puff puff.
Today I added black pepper. You should try it. *wink
Thank you for your sharing those tips! Have a lovely weekend. =)
Imma you are a genius. Thanks for the tip.
Thanks for sharing this to us, i’m going to use this for my project at school, this seems so easy and i think i tried this once before, i can’t wait to try it again, thanks again!
-A student
Thanks. I know you are going to Ace the project. Good Luck!!!!
Please the sugar measurements,which should one stick to because I usually don’t like my puff puff very sweet?
Go with 1/2 cup sugar , if don’t like very sweet puff puff. I might even take out an extra tablespoon
Thank you, Immaculate and God bless.