Kiachl (Tyrolean Fried Dough)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Deep heavy-bottomed pot or pan (at least 26cm wide, 10cm deep)
• •Kitchen thermometer
• •Slotted spoon or spider strainer
• •Kitchen paper for draining

Instructions

1. 1

   Activate the yeast

   Warm the milk until it feels like bath water, not hot. Stir in the yeast and a teaspoon of the sugar. Let it sit for ten minutes. When the surface turns frothy and smells yeasty, it's alive and ready. If nothing happens, your milk was too hot and you killed the yeast. Start again with fresh.

2. 2

   Make the dough

   Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in the yeast mixture, melted butter, egg yolks, remaining sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Work everything together with your hands, then turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for a good ten minutes. The dough should become smooth, soft, and slightly tacky. It won't be as stiff as bread dough. That softness is what lets you stretch it thin later. If it clings to your hands, add flour a pinch at a time, but keep it on the softer side.

   The melted butter and egg yolks make this a rich, supple dough. Rich doughs take longer to develop gluten, so don't shortchange the kneading. Ten minutes is the minimum.
3. 3

   Let the dough rise

   Shape the dough into a ball and place it back in the bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and let it rise in a warm spot for about one hour, until it has doubled in size. A warm kitchen is fine. Near a radiator is better. Don't put it in a hot oven or the butter will start to melt out and the dough will turn greasy.

4. 4

   Portion the dough

   Punch the dough down gently and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it into eight equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball between your palms. Set them on a floured tray, cover again, and let them rest for fifteen minutes. This second rest relaxes the gluten so the dough stretches willingly instead of snapping back at you.

5. 5

   Stretch the Kiachl

   This is the step that makes Kiachl what they are. Take one ball of dough and press it flat with your fingers on a floured surface, working it into a rough disc about ten centimeters across. Now pick it up and drape it over the backs of both fists, knuckles together, palms facing down. Gently pull your fists apart and let gravity and the weight of the dough do the work. Rotate it slowly, stretching the center thinner and thinner while leaving the outer rim thick, about a finger's width. The center should be nearly translucent, thin enough to see the shadow of your hands through it. The rim stays plump. That contrast is everything.

   Flour your fists well. If the dough sticks to your knuckles it will tear. Your first Kiachl will probably have a hole. That's normal. The dough teaches you how it wants to be handled if you pay attention.
6. 6

   Heat the frying fat

   Pour the lard or oil into a deep, wide pan or pot to a depth of at least five centimeters. Heat it to 170 to 175 degrees Celsius. Use a thermometer if you have one. If you don't, drop a small pinch of dough into the fat. It should sink briefly, then rise and start bubbling steadily within a few seconds. If it browns instantly, the fat is too hot. If it just sits there looking pale, it's too cool.

   Lard is the traditional fat and gives the best flavor, a clean, subtle richness that vegetable oil can't match. If you can get good quality pork lard from a butcher, use it. Otherwise a neutral oil with a high smoke point works.
7. 7

   Fry the Kiachl

   Carefully lay a stretched Kiachl into the hot fat. It will sink for a moment, then the rim will puff and float to the surface. Spoon hot fat over the top to help the rim puff evenly. Fry for about two minutes on the first side until the underside is deep golden. Flip it once with a slotted spoon or two forks and fry for another minute or so. The thin center will be crisp and blistered. The rim will be golden brown and airy inside, almost hollow. Lift it out and drain on kitchen paper. Fry one at a time so the fat temperature stays steady.

   Spooning hot fat over the top is not fussiness. It's what makes the rim puff properly. Without it, the top stays flat and you lose that beautiful contrast between crispy center and pillowy edge.
8. 8

   Dust and serve

   Dust each Kiachl generously with powdered sugar while it's still warm. Set a spoonful of Preiselbeeren (lingonberry jam) on one side or in a small dish alongside. Serve immediately. Kiachl are best eaten within minutes of leaving the fat, when the center still shatters and the rim is soft and warm. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •Stretch over your fists, not with a rolling pin. A rolling pin compresses the dough uniformly and you lose the thick-to-thin contrast that defines a Kiachl. Your knuckles let the center go paper-thin while the rim stays plump and puffy.
• •Keep the frying temperature steady between 170 and 175 degrees. Too hot and the outside burns before the rim cooks through. Too cool and the dough absorbs fat and turns heavy. A thermometer takes the guesswork out of it.
• •Preiselbeeren (lingonberries) are the traditional accompaniment and their sharp tartness is perfect against the rich, sweet dough. If you can't find lingonberry jam, cranberry compote comes closest. Don't substitute strawberry jam. It's too sweet and it misses the point.
• •In Tyrol you'll also see Kiachl served savory, with sauerkraut piled onto the crispy center. If you want to try this, leave the sugar and lemon zest out of the dough and add a pinch more salt. Same stretching, same frying, different destination.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made the night before and left to rise slowly in the fridge overnight. Bring it to room temperature for thirty minutes before portioning and stretching. Cold dough fights you.
• •Kiachl cannot be made ahead. They must be fried and eaten immediately. Reheated Kiachl are a sad shadow of the real thing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 150g)