Wintertime and Fried Dough

Back in 1979, someone at the NCC realized that in order to enjoy Ottawa's brutal winters, you needed a reason to celebrate them. Inspired by 1922's Canadian National Winter Carnival, Winterlude is one of city's biggest tourist and event draws, with features like the world famous Rideau Canal Skateway, the ice sculptures at the Crystal Garden in Confederation Park, and the Snowflake Kingdom in Gatineau's Jacques-Cartier Park. But to some, the true highlight of the festival is the opportunity to eat a BeaverTail. Paired with a hot beverage, this pastry makes being in the cold bearable for all but the more hardcore hibernators. If you're that winter adverse, you can try one of the many fried dough recipes out there that try to replicate the popular winter treat. This is one that recently caught my eye; please note that this is no substitute for the real thing.

Ingredients

120 mL warm water
80 mL warm milk
80 mL oil
5 mL vanilla
625 g self rising flour
25 g dry yeast
17 g sugar
7.5 g salt
0.35 g pinch sugar (a pinch)
2 eggs
Vegetable oil for frying
Cinnamon sugar

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yeast, warm water and the pinch of sugar. Allow the mixture to stand a couple of minutes to allow yeast to swell and dissolve. Stir in remaining sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs, oil, salt and most of flour to make a soft dough.
2. Knead 5-8 minutes (by hand or with your food processor's dough hook attachment), adding flour as needed to form a firm, smooth, elastic dough. Place the dough in a greased bowl, and place the bowl in a plastic bag and seal it (the dough can be refrigerated at this point if you're not planning to use it right away). Let it rise for about 30-40 minutes.
3. Gently deflate dough (if dough is coming out of the fridge, allow to warm up about 40 minutes before proceeding) by pinching off a golf ball sized piece of dough. Roll it out into an oval and let it rest, covered with a tea towel while you are preparing the remaining dough.
4. Stretch the ovals into the familiar tail shape, thinning them out and enlarging them as desired. Heat about 5 cm of oil in your vessel of choice. After a few minutes, drop a little dough in the oil. If it sizzles and browns up, then the oil is ready. Add the dough pieces to the hot oil, about 1-2 at a time. Turn once to fry until the undersides are deep brown. DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM THE STOVE as they burn quickly.
5. Lift the fried dough out with tongs and drain on paper towels. Immediately toss the tails in cinnamon sugar and shake off any excess.