Malasada Recipe

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This sugar-coated Malasada recipe creates irresistible, light, and fluffy Portuguese-style fried donuts, a beloved Hawaiian treat!

Prep Time30

Cook Time12

Rise Time2

Total Time2 42

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Kristyn Merkley

Ingredients

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
3 eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup evaporated milk
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour
oil for frying
2 cups sugar

Instructions

In a small mixing bowl, add yeast, warm water, and sugar. Let it sit until foam forms - about 10 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add eggs and mix until fluffy. Add milk, evaporated milk, butter, sugar, and yeast mixture. Mix until combined.
Slowly add flour and salt to the mixture, mixing as you add. Continue to mix until well combined and smooth.
Transfer dough to a lightly greased mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise until doubled in size - about 1 hour.
Add dough to a floured surface and roll out to about 1 inch thickness. Use a circle cookie cutter about 3-4 inches wide and cut out dough. Place onto a greased cookie sheet, cover with a tea towel, and let rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
Place sugar in a large bowl and set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add oil and heat until about 375°F. Add dough rounds to the oil, a few at a time, and fry until golden brown (about 5-7 minutes on each side).
Remove malasadas onto a paper towel-lined plate. Let cool slightly and then toss in the sugar mixture. Add fillings if desired.

Notes

Recipe tips.

Instead of coating the fried maladas in only sugar, combine the sugar with another spice, such as cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice.
Be sure to activate the yeast properly in warm water. Too cold, and the yeast won't activate; too hot, and you'll kill it.
When rising, don't go by time alone. A warmer environment will allow the dough to rise faster, while a cooler environment will slow down the process. When ready, the dough should appear doubled in size.
Don't overcrowd the frying pan, as adding too many malasadas can cause the oil temperature to drop too much.
Pipe in your favorite filling, such as pastry cream, classic custard, thick chocolate ganache, fruit preserves, Boston cream, lemon curd, and more.

Overnight rise. Mix the dough as directed in the recipe, cover, and refrigerate overnight (a least 8 hours and up to 24 hours). The cooler environment will allow the dough to gradually rise. When ready, roll the dough, form the malsadas, rise, and fry according to the recipe.

Add a filling. Allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. Use a long nozzle piping tip to insert into the center of the malada and pipe in about 2 tablespoons of filling.

Store cooled, unfilled maladas in an airtight container for 2-3 days or in the freezer for about 2 months. If the malasadas are filled using a cream-based filling, like custard, or a fresh fruit filling, they will need to be refrigerated.

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