Buñuelos Bajío con Miel de Piloncillo

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy pot or clay cazuela suitable for frying
• •Rolling pin
• •Clean towel-covered bowl for stretching the dough
• •Kitchen thermometer
• •Wire rack or brown paper for draining

Instructions

1. 1

   Infuse the milk

   Place the milk, one cinnamon stick, and the cleaned tomatillo husks in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat until the milk smells clearly of canela, then turn off the heat. Let it steep for 20 minutes. Strain and let the milk cool until just warm. The tomatillo husks are not for flavor. They help the dough relax and stretch. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado.

2. 2

   Mix the dough

   In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Make a well in the center. Add the eggs, melted lard, vanilla, and 1 1/4 cups of the warm infused milk. Mix with your hand until a rough dough forms. Add more milk one tablespoon at a time only if dry flour remains at the bottom of the bowl.

3. 3

   Knead until smooth

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured table and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. It should become smooth, elastic, and a little tacky, not sticky. If it fights you, let it sit for five minutes and continue. Wheat dough needs rest before it obeys. No me vengas con atajos.

4. 4

   Rest the portions

   Divide the dough into 18 to 20 small balls, each about the size of a golf ball. Rub them lightly with a little melted lard, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and rest for 45 minutes. This rest is what lets you roll the buñuelos thin enough to crisp. Skip it and you will tear the dough or make heavy buñuelos.

5. 5

   Make the syrup

   While the dough rests, combine the piloncillo, water, cinnamon stick, cloves, orange peel, and guava if using in a saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the piloncillo dissolves and the syrup coats a spoon lightly. Strain out the spices and fruit. Keep the syrup warm. It should be dark, glossy, and fragrant, not watery.

6. 6

   Roll them thin

   Roll one dough ball at a time on a floured surface into a thin circle, 8 to 9 inches wide. Turn it often and dust lightly so it does not stick. If you know the old way, stretch it over a clean towel-covered bowl or over your knee covered with a cloth, pulling gently from the center outward. The center should look almost translucent. That thinness is the point.

7. 7

   Fry until crisp

   Melt the lard in a wide heavy pot to 350F. Slide in one buñuelo. Press it gently under the fat with tongs so it bubbles evenly, then turn once. Fry 45 to 60 seconds per side, until golden with darker freckles at the edges. Drain on a rack or on brown paper. La manteca es el sabor. Vegetable oil will fry them, yes, but it will not taste like the feria.

   If the buñuelo browns in ten seconds, the fat is too hot. If it sits there drinking fat before bubbling, the fat is too cold. Keep the heat steady.
8. 8

   Serve with miel

   Stack the buñuelos loosely so they stay crisp. Spoon warm miel de piloncillo over each one only when serving, or set the syrup in a small clay jarro at the table so each person pours their own. Once syrup touches the buñuelo, the clock starts. Eat it while it cracks under your teeth. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Use Mexican canela, the soft, brittle cinnamon sold in mercados. Hard cassia cinnamon tastes harsher and does not belong here.
• •Tomatillo husks mean the papery skins from tomate verde, not the green fruit itself. Rinse off any dust before steeping them in the milk.
• •Piloncillo should smell like cane, molasses, and smoke. If all you have is brown sugar, you can make syrup, but it is a compromise, not the Bajío flavor.
• •These buñuelos should be thin and crisp, not puffy. Thick buñuelos are a different thing. Cada estado, su propia cocina.
• •Not every Mexican dish needs chile. This one belongs to canela, wheat, lard, and piloncillo. Respect the dish in front of you.

Advance Preparation

• •The miel de piloncillo can be made up to one week ahead and refrigerated. Rewarm gently before serving.
• •The dough balls can rest, covered and lightly greased, for up to 4 hours at cool room temperature.
• •Fried buñuelos keep crisp for one day if stored uncovered or loosely covered in a dry place. Do not seal them in plastic or they will soften.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 85g)