Ingredients
For the dough
240 g lukewarm milk
240 g lukewarm water
15 g dry yeast (2 sachets)
450 g all-purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 level tsp salt
4 tbsp olive oil
Oil for frying
For topping
350 g honey
Ground cinnamon
Finely chopped walnuts
For the chocolate sauce
200 g couverture chocolate, chopped
110 g water
75 g granulated sugar
Method
To prepare traditional loukoumades, start with the dough. In the bowl of a mixer, add the water and yeast. Stir with a fork and let it sit for 5 minutes, until the yeast is completely dissolved. Add the remaining dough ingredients to the same bowl. Beat the mixture using a mixer (with the whisk attachment) at high speed for about 2 minutes, until the mixture becomes smooth and batter-like. (Alternatively, you can whisk it by hand until the mixture is smooth.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in a warm place for at least 1 hour, until it rises.
To fry the loukoumades, pour enough oil into a medium-sized pot for frying and heat it. To check if the oil is ready, drop in a small amount of batter—if it sizzles, the oil is hot enough.
Dip a tablespoon in water, scoop some batter, and carefully drop it into the hot oil. Repeat the process, always wetting the spoon first so the batter slides off easily, until the surface of the pot is filled with loukoumades.
While frying, use a slotted spoon to turn and submerge them, ensuring all sides cook evenly and turn golden brown. Remove the loukoumades and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Repeat the process with the remaining batter.
Once all the loukoumades are ready, place them on a large serving platter. Drizzle with warmed honey and sprinkle with cinnamon and chopped walnuts.
If you’d like to add chocolate, prepare the sauce as follows: In a saucepan, add the sugar and water and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 1–2 minutes, stirring continuously, until the sugar dissolves completely. Add the chopped chocolate and continue stirring until it melts and the mixture becomes smooth and uniform.
Pour the warm chocolate sauce over the loukoumades and optionally sprinkle with crushed walnuts or almonds.
