Real Sopapillas Recipes

SOPAPILLAS

Steps:

• Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
• Cut shortening in until mixture is a rough texture.
• Gradually add warm water.
• Mix to form dough.
• Knead until smooth.
• Cover and let stand for 20 minutes (this will make it easier to roll out).
• Start oil heating (desired temp is 375° - 400°).
• On a lightly floured board, roll dough thin (between 1/4 and 1/8 inch).
• Cut into 3 inch squares.
• Fry a few at a time, turning when golden and puffed up.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Serve immediately.

SOPAPILLAS

Steps:

• Sift the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add the shortening and water, work them in with your hands to make a soft, pliable dough. Add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if the dough feels too dry. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Put the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour so it will firm up a bit and be easier to roll and cut. (Dough can be prepared 1 day ahead, refrigerated.)
• Unwrap the ball of dough and put on a lightly floured surface, cut in half. With a floured rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a circle, about 1/4-inch thickness. Using a paring knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into triangles as you would a pizza. You should end up with 6 or 8 triangles per circle.
• Heat 2-inches of oil to 375 degrees F in a heavy skillet or deep pot over medium-high heat.
• Fry a few of the sopapillas at a time, keeping an eye on maintaining the oil temperature. As the sopapillas puff up and rise to the surface, flip them over with a slotted spoon, skimmer, or chopsticks; about 2 minutes on each side. Carefully remove the sopapillas from the oil and drain on several layers of paper towels or a brown paper bag. Cool slightly. Serve hot with honey or cinnamon sugar.

SOPAPILLAS

Steps:

• For the sopapillas: Heat the milk and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar melts and the milk is warm to the touch.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, lard, baking powder and salt. Mix for 1 minute to incorporate the lard. With the machine running on medium, drizzle the warm milk mixture into the mixing bowl. Mix until a ball of dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
• When ready, heat 2 inches of vegetable oil to 385 degrees F in a Dutch oven. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
• For the topping: Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Dust your work surface with all-purpose flour and roll the dough out to a 6-by-12-inch rectangle. It should be about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the dough into 2-inch squares and fry in batches of 6 until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side.
• Using a spider, remove the hot sopapillas from the oil to the paper towel-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the sopapillas and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with honey. Serve warm.

SOPAPILLAS AT HOME

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the shortening, and use your hands to integrate it well with the flour.
• Pour the hot water into the bowl, little by little. Work the dough with your fingers, mixing the dry ingredients with the water until you form a dough.
• On your table or countertop, knead the dough for about 4-5 minutes until it is smooth. Form a ball with the dough and place it back in the bowl.
• Cover the dough with a plastic or kitchen napkin and let it rest for at least 20 minutes. This resting time helps the gluten to develop and make it easy for you to roll out the dough and form the sopapillas.
• After the resting time, slightly knead the dough again and then form it back into a ball. Flatten the ball a little bit, then cut it into 4 pieces using a knife or a pastry cutter.
• Pour the oil into a large pot and turn the heat to medium-low. The oil should reach an average temperature of 350ºF.
• Roll the 4 pieces of dough to form smaller balls. Place one on your working surface and set the other 3 pieces aside, covered with plastic wrap. Form a round disk with the dough using a rolling pin. The disc should be about 6 inches in diameter, and ⅛ to ¼ of an inch in thickness.
• Once you form the disc, cut it into four pieces. These pieces will look like triangles. Carefully place each one into the hot oil. Make sure you do not overcrowd the pot. Once the dough triangles are in the oil, they will inflate almost immediately. Continue cooking until the bottoms of the sopapillas are medium golden, then turn them to cook on the other side until light brown and crispy. The sopapillas will take a total of about 4-5 minutes to cook completely.
• Remove the sopaipillas from the oil using a slotted spatula, and place them on a plate covered with paper towels (to absorb any excess oil) Follow steps 6-8 to continue forming and cooking the remaining sopapillas.
• To serve the sopaipillas, dust them with the confectioner's sugar and ground cinnamon, and then drizzle them with honey (or Piloncillo syrup, if you have any).

REAL SOPAPILLAS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and shortening. Stir in water; mix until dough is smooth. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes.
• Roll out on floured board until 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3 inch squares. Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

STUFFED SOPAPILLAS WITH CARNE ADOVADA

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Add melted butter and water then mix the dough until it is smooth.
• Return dough to the bowl and cover with a towel for 20 minutes.
• Turn dough out onto a clean surface and use a rolling pin (or sturdy cup) to roll into 1/4" thickness. Use a knife or pizza roller to cut into 3" squares.
• Heat 4" of oil in a sturdy pot over medium-high heat, until temperature reaches 375 degrees. Add sopapillas, one at a time, and fry until puffy and golden brown, about 15 seconds per side.
• Remove from pot and transfer to a paper-towel lined bowl.
• In a slow cooker, season pork with salt and oregano. Pour in red chile and stir until coated.
• If possible, marinate for 12 - 24 hours.
• Cook on slow for 9 hours, until cooked through and fork-tender.
• On an oven-safe plate, split sopapilla in half. Spoon on a generous serving of carne adovada.
• Top carne adovada with 2 tablespoons of cheese. Top cheese with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes.
• Fold over the top of the sopapilla to seal it. Spoon over a couple tablespoons of the red chile from the carne adovada. Top with cheese.
• Turn your oven on to broil, then place in oven for 1 - 2 minutes, until cheese is melted.
• Repeat for remaining sopapillas.