Buñuelos Tabasqueños

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide mixing bowl
• •Wooden rolling pin
• •Deep heavy pan or cazuela suitable for frying
• •Kitchen thermometer
• •Wire rack set over a tray

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the dough

   In a wide bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and ground canela. Rub in the softened manteca with your fingertips until the flour feels sandy. Add the beaten egg, warm water, and orange zest. Mix until a rough dough forms. La manteca es el sabor, and here it also gives you the blistered surface that makes a proper buñuelo.

2. 2

   Knead and rest

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured table and knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic but not sticky. Divide into 24 small balls, cover with a clean cloth, and rest for 30 minutes. Do not skip the rest. The dough needs to relax so you can roll it thin without tearing it.

3. 3

   Make the miel

   While the dough rests, combine the chopped piloncillo, water, canela stick, cloves, orange peel, and salt in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the piloncillo dissolves and the syrup lightly coats a spoon. Strain and keep warm. It should taste dark, mineral, and warm from the canela, not like plain sugar water.

   Use real piloncillo, not brown sugar if you can help it. Brown sugar is sweet. Piloncillo tastes like cane, smoke, and market mornings. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
4. 4

   Roll thin rectangles

   Roll each dough ball on a floured surface into a very thin oval or rectangle, about 6 by 4 inches. Trim into rectangles if you want clean panadería edges. Stack them between lightly floured cloths while you work. You should almost see the shadow of your hand through the dough. Thick buñuelos puff like pillows and stay soft. That is not what we are making.

5. 5

   Heat the fat

   Heat the manteca de cerdo or oil in a deep, heavy pan to 350F. If you do not have a thermometer, drop in a tiny scrap of dough. It should rise quickly and bubble around the edges without turning dark immediately. Keep the heat steady. Too cool and the buñuelos drink fat. Too hot and they brown before they crisp.

6. 6

   Fry until crackled

   Fry one or two rectangles at a time, pressing gently with tongs so they stay mostly flat. Cook 45 to 60 seconds per side, until golden, blistered, and crisp. The surface should look crackled, with tiny raised bubbles across the dough. Drain on a rack, not paper towels if you can avoid it. A rack keeps the bottom crisp.

7. 7

   Finish and serve

   Mix the dusting sugar with the ground canela. Sprinkle the hot buñuelos lightly, or serve them plain with the warm miel de piloncillo in a clay bowl for dipping and drenching. Do both if the table is full. Buñuelos are made for sharing during posadas, not for counting one by one like a nervous accountant.

Chef Tips

• •In Tabasco, the humidity matters. If the dough feels sticky, add flour one tablespoon at a time. Do not make it dry. A dry dough rolls badly and fries hard.
• •Mexican canela is softer and more floral than cassia cinnamon. Buy it in sticks from a Mexican market and grind what you need. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado.
• •Manteca de cerdo gives the best texture. Neutral oil works for frying when you must, but the dough still wants manteca. That small amount changes the bite.
• •Do not drown every buñuelo in syrup before serving unless people are eating immediately. Keep the miel on the side so the rectangles stay crisp.

Advance Preparation

• •The piloncillo syrup can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated. Rewarm gently before serving.
• •The dough balls can rest, covered and refrigerated, for up to 12 hours. Bring them to room temperature before rolling.
• •Fried buñuelos are best the day they are made. If needed, recrisp them in a 300F oven for 5 to 7 minutes and dust with canela sugar after warming.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 50g)