Canadian Beaver Tail Fried Pastries

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 5 teaspoons dry yeast
• 1 pinch sugar
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 4 1/4-5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• oil (for frying)
• granulated sugar (for dusting)
• cinnamon

Recipe

• 1 in a large mixing bowl, stir together the yeast, warm water and pinch of sugar.
• 2 allow to stand a couple of minutes to allow yeast to swell or dissolve.
• 3 stir in remaining sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs, oil, salt, and most of flour to make soft dough.
• 4 knead 5-8 minutes (by hand or with a dough hook), adding flour as needed to form a firm, smooth, elastic dough.
• 5 place in a greased bowl. place bowl in a plastic bag and seal. (if not using right away, you can refrigerate the dough at this point).
• 6 let rise in a covered, lightly greased bowl; about 30-40 minutes.
• 7 gently deflate dough. (if dough is coming out of the fridge, allow to warm up for about 40 minutes before proceeding).
• 8 pinch off a golfball-sized piece of dough. roll out into an oval and let rest, covered with a tea towel, while you are preparing the remaining dough.
• 9 heat about 4 inches of oil in fryer (a wok works best, but you can use a dutch oven or whatever you usually use for frying). temperature of the oil should be about 385°f.
• 10 add the dough pieces to the hot oil, about 1-2 at a time.
• 11 but -- before you do, stretch the ovals into a tail shape, like a beaver's tail - thinning them out and enlarging them as you do.
• 12 turn once to fry until the undersides are deep brown.
• 13 lift the tails out with tongs and drain on paper towels.
• 14 fill a large bowl with a few cups of sugar.
• 15 toss the tails in sugar (with a little cinnamon if you wish) and shake off excess.
• 16 divine with a bit of jam or apple pie filling!