Yogurt doughnuts (mekitsi)

Mekitsi are among the best-loved treats around the Rila Monastery, and they suit St John of Rila's Day especially well. The yoghurt dough takes ten minutes to knead and needs no yeast, just a cup of milk and a little patience. Fry them and eat them hot.

Ingredients

Method

1. Mix the wet ingredients

   In a bowl, stir the yoghurt with the baking soda until it foams slightly. Add the egg, salt, 1 tbsp oil and the warm water.

   

2. Knead the dough

   Add the flour in three batches and knead for about 5 minutes. The dough should be soft and smooth, and should come away from your hands.

   

3. Let it rest

   Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave the dough at room temperature for 20 minutes. This relaxes it and makes it easy to roll out.

   

4. Heat the oil

   Pour 500 ml of oil into a wide frying pan and heat it to 170°C. It is ready when a small piece of dough floats up and starts to sizzle around the edges.

   If you have no thermometer, drop in a crumb of dough: if it sinks and does not bubble, the oil is too cold.

   

5. Shape the mekitsi

   Rub a little oil on your hands and roll the dough out to 1 cm thick. Tear off palm-sized pieces and stretch them gently.

   

6. Fry until golden

   Put 3–4 mekitsi in the oil at a time and fry them for 1–2 minutes on each side, until they puff up and turn golden. Turn them with two forks.

   Don't crowd the pan, as the oil cools and the mekitsi soak up fat.

   

7. Drain and dust

   Lift the mekitsi out onto paper towel for 1 minute. While still warm, dust them with icing sugar through a fine sieve.

   

How to serve

Serve them with white brine cheese or apricot jam.

Did you know?

Mekitsi are a traditional Bulgarian dish of fried dough, made all over the country, most often with cheese, honey or jam.

Per serving (approx.): 640 kcal · protein 15 g · fat 28 g · carbohydrates 82 g