Pampúšiky (graple)
Doughnut known under different names – pampúšiky, pampúšky, grapple, grapne. Similar dough, variations and unique tastes rendered to them by housewives in Horehronie. These sweet delicacies typical for several regions across Slovakia are interconnected with customs related to the Carnival season. Carnival festivities turns day by day into fasting season. Final burying of a cello is a climax of carnivals and balls. The Carnival season is known for delicacies or slaughter day specialties today just like in the past. The dough for fried doughnuts can be enhanced by vanilla sugar and ground lemon peel if following the example of today’s housewives.
Ingredients for 4 portions:
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 1 sachet or cube of yeast
- 350 ml semi-skimmed milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 sachet of vanilla sugar
- 1 table spoon of sugar
- 0,02 dl rum
- 1 table spoon of butter
- Oil or grease for frying
Preparation:
- Put the yeast, regular sugar and butter into lukewarm milk.
- Leave the leaven, that forms, rest and rise for a while.
- Insert flour, eggs and vanilla sugar into a bowl. Add the leaven and knead, while gradually pouring in oil and rum.
- Knead the dough until the seeming bubbles start forming. Let it rise in a warm place.
- Roll the dough out on a chopping board sprinkled by flour. Its thickness is supposed to be around 1 cm. Use a glass or a dedicated tool to cut out round doughnuts.
- Let the pieces of dough rise again on a chopping board sprinkled by flour.
- Fry them gradually on a pan filled with boiling oil or grease.
- The final step is sprinkling the doughnuts with an amount of powdered sugar depending on your preference. Serve pure or with a jam.
