Last night I made my roomates a snack of Fritole, these fabulous yeasty Italian doughnuts with raisins. They’re very easy to make and incredible, so I thought I’d share this traditional recipe.

200 grams all purpose flour
60 grams sugar
1 egg
10gr (or more for faster rising) brewer yeast (Fresh/wet yeast that is kept regrigerated)
200ml milk
50 grams raisins
generous pinch of salt
powdered sugar for dusting
high-temp oil like peanut, safflower, or pine nut (most traditional) for frying

Soak the raisins in warm water (boil some and pour it over them and let them sit, or just very hot tap water). After they’ve plumped (about 5-15 minutes) lightly squeeze them dry and dust them with flour.

Sift the flour in a bowl with the salt and sugar. Add the egg and dusted raisins.

Warm half the milk to no more than 110 degrees F, add the yeast and let it melt in. Mix the yeast and milk mixture into the dough. Add the rest of the milk as needed (depending on size of egg) to make the dough wet, but not completely runny. Set the whole “dough” once well mixed in a warm spot and leave for at least an hour. Place some parchment on top to prevent a skin unless the dough is very wet.

Heat the oil in a pan (a high sided saucepan is best, filled about a quarter of an inch or so with oil) to about medium or medium high heat. If they seem to be cooking too quickly or getting too dark before you can flip them, lower the heat and allow them to cook longer or else they will be gooey inside. Alternatively, make them smaller and pay more attention. Let the oil come completely to temperature. Use two large spoons to put a large spoonful of dough into the oil for each (this is the size they should be when they start). I find a spatula and a pair of tongs to be the best way to handle these (don’t crowd the pan), flipping the first time with a spatula and removing them from the pan with the tongs. When you take them out, put them on paper towels to soak up the fat and dust with powdered sugar. Serve on a platter dusted with powdered sugar (or eat htem as they’re ready!).