Bosnian Fritters (Bosanski Pituljice)

[Olga Drozd]

Bosnian Fritters (Bosanski Pituljice)

In Bosnia, these fritters are served with the afternoon coffee.

200 grams strong white bread flour (reserve 1 Tablespoon for kneading)
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
75 mL lukewarm milk - about
25 grams butter, melted over hot water and cooled to tepid
Vanilla flavoured confectioners' icing sugar for sprinkling

Sieve the flour with the salt into a bowl.  Make a well in the centre and add the egg and oil, then stir in the milk to make a rather soft dough.  Knead it well with some of the reserved flour, slapping the dough now and then on the kneading surface to develop the gluten about 5 to 8 minutes.  Return the dough to the bowl, sprinkle with flour, cover, and leave in a warm place to relax for 30 minutes.

When the time is up, divide into 8 pieces and roll them out into 15 to 17 cm rounds. Brush the rounds with the melted butter and place them one on top of the other.  Leave the stack in a cool place to firm up the butter; then reverse the stack and roll it out into a thin circle. Draw up four opposite edges of the circle so that they meet at the centre and form a square. Fold this in half and, in the opposite direction, in half again.  Roll it out into a neat 35 cm square.  With a knife or pastry wheel, cut it into 25 small squares, or as many as required.

Fry the pieces in batches, in sufficient oil to cover the base of the pan to a depth of about 1 cm, until golden brown on both sides.  Drain on absorbent kitchen paper, then sprinkle generously with vanilla sugar.  Makes 25.