Cookbook:Zalabiyeh (Sweet Fritters) I

Zalabiyeh is a deep-fried fritter eaten in many societies, made almost entirely of wheat flour, yeast, salt and water. It is made sweet by being sprinkled with confectionary sugar or dipped in honey.

Ingredients

 * 600 g white, all-purpose wheat flour
 * 3 tbsp sugar
 * 1 tsp salt
 * 1½ tbsp dry yeast
 * 2½ cup lukewarm water (or enough for kneading dough)
 * Eggs (optional)
 * Milk (optional)
 * Vegetable oil

Procedure

 * 1) Mix all ingredients except oil, and work them together until you have a semi-thin and sticky dough.
 * 2) Cover dough with towel, and let it rest for 45 minutes in warm place.
 * 3) Wash hands and again work the dough. Let dough rest for 20 minutes.
 * 4) Preheat oil in frying pan on the stove over a medium heat (depth of oil should be shallow).
 * 5) Wash hands, oil them, and take out small portions of dough to be placed in boiling oil within frying pan.
 * 6) Fry on low heat and when the dough has turned a golden brown on its bottom side, flip it over and fry on reverse side.
 * 7) When fried, remove from oil and place on top of paper towels to absorb excess oil.