Malasadas

[hummingbirdkiss]

I did a search and could not find that a topic on malasada's had been started? ..of course if I am wrong please let me know and point me in the right direction.

I have made them for years with good results my "recipe" (and I use that term loosely because I don't have one I just make up the dough to feel)

includes AP flour, yeast, canned evap milk, sugar, salt, softented unsalted butter and a couple of eggs

a very gentle kneading and a long rise then a fry in hot but not french fry hot oil about 300 degrees I am thinking until golden and they float on the top of the oil ..remove and toss in sugar (sometimes I use vanilla sugar)

like I said I have made these for years with good results but they are more donutty than malasadaish (if those can be words) ...I would love them to be lighter ..fluffier and fantastic for this Sunday when I have to take them to work for my coworkers to judge (they are HARSH!!! and two of them are Portuguese!!!)

the best malasada I have ever had was in Hawaii on the big Island at the Hilo farmers market a woman had made them then stuck two together with a good amt of butter spread in the middle then the whole thing was tossed in sugar ...it was melt in your mouth eggy buttery goodness ... suck your thumb twirl your hair good!!!!

so please if you are good at making malasadas ..if you have a good recipe ..or if you just like talking about deep frying some soft dough to eat with sprinkled sugar all over them and you! ..(I think there was a thread about RI style doughboys at one point?) l would so appreciate it!

thanks so much in advance

Edited July 16, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[naes]

My wife and I fell in love with malasadas when we visited the Big Island several years ago. I have a recipe that I found online and to which I've made some small adjustments. I'm pretty happy with the results now. At first they were a little too dense and lacked some flavor. To correct this I added a cold ferment step to contribute a slight sour note and then I roll them out, cut them with a ring, and then let them bench proof. The bench proof is the key to getting them light and airy. You just need to be careful when moving the malasadas into the fryer so as not to deflate them.

[hummingbirdkiss]

My wife and I fell in love with malasadas when we visited the Big Island several years ago.  I have a recipe that I found online and to which I've made some small adjustments.  I'm pretty happy with the results now.  At first they were a little too dense and lacked some flavor.  To correct this I added a cold ferment step to contribute a slight sour note and then I roll them out, cut them with a ring, and then let them bench proof.  The bench proof is the key to getting them light and airy.  You just need to be careful when moving the malasadas into the fryer so as not to deflate them.

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I am so happy someone answered this I was stressing I had spelled it wrong..no one loved these like I did!

I really hope you will share your recipe with me?

what I am thinking is to just make the dough on Saturday night and keep it in a cool place let it rise over night then do a second rise early in the day in a warm place after they are cut and just drop them in the hot oil right before I have to leave ..then put them in a brown paper bag left open? what do you think about that transporting? I will roll the sides on the bag down and just serve them like that out of the bag...I want them to be perfect when I get there ...

I kind of wish I had some Kona or other Hawian coffee to serve that would be a fun way to start a day in urgent care ...pretending we are all in Hawaii for breakfast!

[CanadianBakin']

You just need to be careful when moving the malasadas into the fryer so as not to deflate them.

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In school I learned a great way to do the transfer. We did it with french cruellers but I imagine it would work with other doughnut-like items. You put your doughnuts or whatever on a piece of parchment that has been greased with shortening. Only put on each sheet as many as you can get in your fryer at one time. Let them bench proof and then you just flip the whole thing over into the fryer. The shortening will melt and release the doughnuts. It's a bit scary the first time but it worked great.

[hummingbirdkiss]

You just need to be careful when moving the malasadas into the fryer so as not to deflate them.

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In school I learned a great way to do the transfer. We did it with french cruellers but I imagine it would work with other doughnut-like items. You put your doughnuts or whatever on a piece of parchment that has been greased with shortening. Only put on each sheet as many as you can get in your fryer at one time. Let them bench proof and then you just flip the whole thing over into the fryer. The shortening will melt and release the doughnuts. It's a bit scary the first time but it worked great.

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ok that is a flipping awesome idea thanks!!!

[Mary F]

thanks for starting this topic. I gave up on a good recipe years ago, so hoping one will be shared. I had resigned myself to eating them when in Hawaii.

The problem with Malasadas is that they don't seem to store well, so it will be hard to get them into work at their best! Good luck, let us know how it goes.

[hummingbirdkiss]

no recipes? ok I am being forced to google!

[hummingbirdkiss]

well I can not find any recipes on google that do not look like what I do already so maybe it will help just to do what you guys mentioned with frying ..thanks anyway! I wil let you know how things go on Sunday I am going to make my dough tomorrow ..and get up early for the second rise on Sunday then use the parchment method to carefully dump them in to the oil ...and transport them quickly to work 20 min away...

thanks so much!

[gfron1]

Looking forward to it because I have no idea wha a malasadas is. Please do post pics.

[hummingbirdkiss]

Looking forward to it because I have no idea wha a malasadas is.  Please do post pics.

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it is a a very light very eggy Portuguese donut ...not at all like anything I have had in the way of fried dough tossed in plain white granulated sugar

they are kind of like doughboys (if you have ever had those?) but more eggy

the lighter they are the more they melt in your mouth the better!!!

they are very deliscious and we have been through the wringer at work lately so I thought it would be a nice surprise for breakfast Sunday

I am going to as mentioned above go with what I know and try the way to fry mentioned and yes I happily will take a picture and show you the results!

I thought they were more popular ..I guess they are not really

Edited July 20, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[CanadianBakin']

hummingbird, have you had cruellers before? They are quit eggy and I'm wondering if the taste and texture are similar. I also have never seen or heard of a Malasadas and I've never tried a Dough Boy.

[sanrensho]

Here's a previous thread on malasadas, including a link to a recipe. (I did a Google search for "malasadas" and "Hawaii" and, of course, it took me right back to eGullet.)

http://forums.egullet.com/index.php?showtopic=29987

[hummingbirdkiss]

I believe they are different from Cruellers Canadianbaken but I will look for a recipe and see ..Sarensho the recipe from this link you posted http://www.hawaii.edu/recipes/dessert/malasada.html looks almost exactly like what I do except more eggs so might as well try it!

thanks so much

[hummingbirdkiss]

I am so excited!!!!!! I could not wait until tomorrow to try this ..what if it failed and I had a tantrum before work...never good! ...

this is exactly how I wanted them to come out!! ..they are wonderful melt in your mouth deep fried puffy dough with eggy good flavor!!! I used the recipe above but reduced the fry heat to 350 instead of the 375 I was afraid to burn them and have nothing but goo inside ..I used the parchment bench rising combo from your rec above ..and just dumped them parchment and all into the hot oil ..you guys if you love to make donuts or fry bread or any fried dough ..this is a perfect trick! The only thing I would change in the recipe is to use more salt they need it ..other than that they are perfect!

here is my photo montage

if you were all here I would give you a paper towel and a warm malasada with a fresh cup of Kona coffee ...enjoy

[reenicake]

They look really good! I malasadas with the cream filling. When we went on our honeymoon in Maui we asked the concierge where we could find them; he excitedly told us the directions to the place and that they fry them at 3:00 pm. So we planned our day and sure enough after our helicopter ride we jumped in the car and were there at 2:55. We hung around waiting until they brought them out, still steaming a bit, and filled with custard. We ate two right there and finished the rest in the 10-minute car ride.

Edited July 21, 2007 by reenicake (log)

[hummingbirdkiss]

I should have thought about making a custard filling omg that sounds freaking fantastic!!!

but there is only so much I can do in the morning prior to a 12 hour shift so I think I will just hold off and save that for another time

that kind of looks like an unfilled jelly donut now that I look at it ..but trust me ..it is sooo much better!!!

hmmmm though some guava jam inside?

[SuzySushi]

I never make them since they're so easy to buy here but the filled versions include vanilla custard, chocolate custard, haupia (coconut) custard, guava jam, etc. You fill them like a jelly doughnut after they're fried.

[hummingbirdkiss]

thanks Suzy I am eating my heart out ok???

here is my theory about these things since the dough is really similar to my Portuguese sweet bread recipe...

someone was making a batch of Portuguese sweetbread ...and one day they could not shape the dough too wet to sticky got stuck all over their hands (as it did mine!) ...so ...the person making this began to get pissed off and rather than tossing all the ingredients into the garbage...began to toss globs of this sticky dough into hot oil just to see what would happen...voila' they puffed up ..were tossed in sugar and they named them Mal Asada!!!! yes bad cooking!!!

they are good cooking actually and very good ..

they must be good and worth it sinde with only one cup of coffee so far I have been up 2 hours early for work to make them for my coworkers

we better have a good day today!

Edited July 22, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[CanadianBakin']

They look delicious! Thanks for including pictures and I'm glad the parchment trick worked for you.

[naes]

Your malasadas look wonderful!

Sorry I didn't get my recipe to you in time. I completely forgot to check this thread after my original posting to see if you wanted it. However, it looks like you didn't need it because my recipe is based on the one that you posted.

I have to agree with a previous poster though. I don't think malasadas keep well. They're really meant to be eaten hot out of the fryer.

I just might have to make a batch again soon!

Edited July 30, 2007 by naes (log)

[mukki]

I'm definitely trying these! Even though I spent a chunk of childhood in Maui, I've never had malasadas (or I don't remember them) -- horrible.

[hummingbirdkiss]

just a hint you guys the dough is better if you put it in the fridg the day before and leave it over night...my final Malasadas were even lighter and fluffier the picture shows (I made those the first day of the dough) when I took the dough out and let it rise the next morning they went from really wonderful ..to the perfect Malasada ..in my mind anyway!