Chef Dimitra
Corfu Svingoi (Σβίγγοι Κέρκυρας)
Corfu's svingoi are egg-rich choux fritters, crisp at the edges and hollow-light inside, dipped in honey syrup and cinnamon for the feast of Agios Spyridon.
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Athens Loukoumades (Λουκουμάδες Αθηναϊκοί)
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Athens loukoumades are yeasted honey puffs, fried gold and hollow, then drenched with warm thyme honey, cinnamon, and walnuts while still crisp-edged.
Pastries & Cookies
Greek
Celebration
Comfort Food
Special Occasion
20 min
Active Time
25 min cook•1 hr 45 min total
Yield6 servings
Athens loukoumades belong to the old city sweet shops, the loukoumatzidika, where the batter is dropped straight into hot oil and served before anyone has time to fuss with it. They are small, round, golden puffs, crisp at the edge and almost hollow inside, drowned in warm honey, cinnamon, and walnuts.
The whole dish rests on the heat of the oil. Keep it around 180C and the batter seals quickly, balloons, and colors without drinking fat. Let the oil sag and you get heavy, greasy dough. That isn't loukoumades. That is punishment with honey on it.
I keep this version plain because plain is the point: flour, yeast, water, good honey, cinnamon, walnuts. Λίγα και καλά, a few things, and good ones. My grandmother Despina bought them wrapped in paper in Thessaloniki when the city was cold and wet, and she still judged them by the same rule: they must be eaten hot enough that the honey shines.
Loukoumades descend from a long eastern Mediterranean family of fried yeasted doughs, but the Greek record reaches back to ancient enkrides, honeyed fritters mentioned in classical sources and associated by later writers with Olympic victors. The modern Athenian loukoumatzidiko made them an urban celebration sweet in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, served fast, hot, and plain with honey rather than filled cream or heavy decoration. The Ottoman name lokma left its mark on the word, but the Greek habit of honey, cinnamon, and walnut made the plate its own.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
strong bread flour
Quantity
500g
instant yeast
Quantity
7g
sugar
Quantity
25g
fine sea salt
Quantity
8g
lukewarm water
Quantity
420ml
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
30ml
honey
Quantity
1 teaspoon
neutral oil
Quantity
1.5 liters
for frying
Greek thyme honey
Quantity
250g
water
Quantity
80ml
for syrup
lemon juice
Quantity
1 tablespoon
ground cinnamon
Quantity
1 teaspoon
for serving
walnuts
Quantity
60g
finely chopped, for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| strong bread flour | 500g |
| instant yeast | 7g |
| sugar | 25g |
| fine sea salt | 8g |
| lukewarm water | 420ml |
| extra virgin olive oil | 30ml |
| honey | 1 teaspoon |
| neutral oilfor frying | 1.5 liters |
| Greek thyme honey | 250g |
| waterfor syrup | 80ml |
| lemon juice | 1 tablespoon |
| ground cinnamonfor serving | 1 teaspoon |
| walnutsfinely chopped, for serving | 60g |
Equipment Needed
- •deep heavy pot, 24cm
- •frying thermometer
- •slotted spoon or spider skimmer
- •wire rack
Instructions
- 1
Make the batter
Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the lukewarm water, olive oil, and teaspoon of honey, then beat with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes until you have a thick, elastic batter, looser than bread dough and heavier than pancake batter.
- 2
Let it rise
Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm place for 1 hour, until the batter doubles and the surface is full of bubbles. Don't rush this. The rise is what gives loukoumades their hollow, tender middle instead of a heavy bite.
If the kitchen is cold, set the bowl in an unheated oven with the light on. Warm, not hot, is enough. - 3
Warm the honey
Put the thyme honey, 80ml water, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Warm gently for 3 minutes, just until fluid and pourable. Keep it warm off the heat. Honey should coat the puffs, not boil into hard candy.
- 4
Heat the oil
Heat the frying oil in a deep pot to 180C. This is the step that decides the dish. Oil that is hot enough seals the outside fast, so each puff turns gold and light; oil that is too cool soaks into the batter and makes a greasy ball.
No thermometer? Drop in a little batter. It should rise at once, bubble actively, and color slowly, not darken in seconds. - 5
Shape and fry
Oil a tablespoon and one hand. Scoop up batter in your fist, squeeze a walnut-sized bubble between thumb and forefinger, and cut it off with the spoon into the hot oil. Fry in small batches for 3 to 4 minutes, turning often, until evenly deep gold.
- 6
Drain briefly
Lift the loukoumades with a slotted spoon onto a rack or paper-lined tray for 30 seconds only. They should stay hot and crisp-edged when they meet the honey.
- 7
Honey and serve
Pile the hot loukoumades onto a platter, pour over the warm honey syrup, and finish with cinnamon and chopped walnuts. Serve at once, while the outside still gives under your teeth and the honey runs down into the pile.
Chef Tips
- •Use good Greek honey because it is the sauce, not a garnish. Thyme honey is classic, but orange blossom honey is welcome if that is what your cupboard has.
- •Fry in small batches. Crowding drops the oil temperature, and loukoumades are not patient with a crowded pot.
- •They do not keep well. You can hold the batter in the refrigerator after the first rise for up to 8 hours, but once fried, call people to the table.
Advance Preparation
- •Make the batter up to 8 hours ahead, let it rise once, then cover and refrigerate. Bring it back toward room temperature for 30 minutes before frying.
- •Chop the walnuts and mix the honey syrup earlier in the day. Warm the syrup gently just before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 210g)
Calories
740 calories
Total Fat
33 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
29 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
530 mg
Total Carbohydrates
102 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
40 g
Protein
13 g
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