There is nothing you can tell me, the Ghanaian bofrot/puff-puff is the ancestor of Tim Hortons’ Timbits! There, I said it. This Toogbei/Wet Ghanaian bofrot/puff puff recipe is coming in time for the festive season (Thanksgiving in Canada), what is a whole feast without a bowl of warm and delicious fried dough balls?
These can serve as a snack or even dessert, depending on how you serve it. They are soft, fluffy, lightly sweet, and can be irresistible; when you start, it is always difficult to stop till the bowl is empty.
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The Ghanaian bofrot is pretty much the same as Nigerian puff puff, the key difference would be the addition of milk and eggs in the bofrot recipe.
While I am Nigerian, I am not sure I will be making my puff puff any other way for now, try this recipe and you will understand the reason for the chokehold.
These can be preserved easily too, when fried, all you need is to secure them in a ziploc and they can last in the fridge for at least a week. When ready to eat, a quick 15-second spin in the microwave will get them fresh for consumption again.
Ingredients for making Toogbei/Wet Ghanaian Bofrot/Puff Puff
All-Purpose Flour
You can substitute with wheat flour or almond flour if you like, although I believe these might alter the taste that the traditional bofrot has.
Active Dry Yeast
It is important to be sure your yeast is alive before making this, it is the most important ingredient to enable your dough rise.
Evaporated Milk
The brand I go with is Carnation, you can also use half and half as it has very similar thickness.
Eggs
These add an extra layer of airiness and fluffiness to the fried dough balls.
Nutmeg
The depth of flavour that a little grating of nutmeg gives is indescribable.
Vegetable Oil
These dough balls are fried, hence you would require a substantial amount of oil in a deep pot or pan, there needs to be room for the fried balls to float.
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A few tips…
– Ensure that the batter’s consistency is slightly thick in texture, combine and knead lightly till it is paste-like before setting aside to proof. The batter should not be too thick or runny as this may affect the overall result.
– Proofing (rising) happens when the dough is left to sit in a warm place for about an hour, but if you are impatient like me, asides using warm water in the mix, you can also heat up your oven for a few minutes and turn it off prior to making the batter, it’ll be warm enough for the dough to proof in 30 minutes.
– When the dough has risen, it is important to slightly mix again by hand from the bottom up since the upper part of the risen dough is just air and bubbles. If fried this way, you will end up with a batch that has just air on the inside and what you really want is bofrot with substance.
Ghanaian Bofrot/Puff-Puff Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups All-Purpose flour
- 1 packet instant yeast 2 1/4 tsp
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 2 cups warm water
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine your flour, sugar, yeast and salt together.
- Use a small grater to grate in some of the nutmeg into the dry mix, set aside.
- In another bowl, combine the evaporated milk, eggs and warm water, mix till well combined.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients together, it may be helpful to use a spatula or mix by hand.
- Cover the batter with a plastic wrap and keep in a warm place (preferably a warm oven) to rise for about 30-45 mins.
- Heat up a deep pot, add in about 4-6 cups of oil depending on the size of the pan.
- You can use your hand or a scoop to scoop in the batter into the hot oil in close to equal portions.
- The bofrot will form its ball-like shape on its own, fry on medium to low heat until the balls are evenly brown and crisp. Take out and drain on a paper towel in a bowl.
