Air bubbles in fried doughs

[Gabriel Lewis]

I'm trying to figure out what causes those little puffy air bubbles in fried doughs. My last batch of samosas had very bubbly dough, and this hasn't happened before.

I've tried google, searches, and Mcgee and not come up with anything. Anyone? (Scientific answers are a bonus!)

[vengroff]

I'm trying to figure out what causes those little puffy air bubbles in fried doughs. My last batch of samosas had very bubbly dough, and this hasn't happened before.

I've tried google, searches, and Mcgee and not come up with anything. Anyone? (Scientific answers are a bonus!)

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My first guess would be water in the dough turning to steam at frying temperatures. The crust forms while some of these little pockets of trapped steam are at fully inflated just below the surface. Thus, the even after the dough cools and the high pressure of the steam inside the bubbles goes back to normal atmospheric pressure, the crust is rigid enough that the bubbles keep their shape.