Puff-puff is my favorite Nigerian snack. It is sweet, fluffy, and can go with anything. I remember every Sunday after church, my sister and I would go to the Sunday market and buy puff-puff. This recipe is very easy for beginners like me. Sometimes, you might have to try multiple times to get it right, and you learn what works best for you.
Things you need:
Glass bowl (for mixing). Choose something you can put in the oven.
Spatula for mixing
1 cup of lukewarm water
2 cups of flour
¾ cup of sugar
A pinch of salt
½ teaspoon of pepper flakes or Cayenne pepper
One sachet of dry yeast
½ vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (optional)
½ tablespoon of powdered milk (optional)
Frying oil
Aluminum foil
Frying pan/pot
How to make it
Get your bowl and start with the dry ingredients, flour first, then sugar. Add salt, yeast, pepper flakes, powdered milk and mix everything together using the spatula.
Add your wet ingredients, water first. (Note: make sure it is not too thick). After mixing it all together, add the vanilla extract and extra water if needed. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil.
Preheat your oven to 400°C. After preheating, put the bowl inside the oven and turn it off (this is to let the mixture rise faster). Do this for 15-20 minutes. Make sure you check it after 15 minutes to see if it needs more time in the oven, or you might have to increase the temperature of the oven.
Bring it out of the oven and stir it with your spatula one more time.
Get a medium-sized frying pan or pot, put oil in it and wait for it to heat up.
Use your hand to form a little bit of the mixture in a ball and dump it in the oil (be careful not to hurt yourself). Make sure the pan is not too hot and leave space for them to fry. Do this until the puff-puff is brown, and don’t forget to turn it.
7. To confirm if it’s cooked, use a toothpick to check. If it still shows the dough, then it needs to cook a bit more.
8. Place the fried puff-puff on a plate covered with a paper towel to soak the excess oil.
9. Add powdered sugar if necessary.
I hope this was not too hard. Let me know if you made it, and don’t forget to share and comment on this post. Enjoy!!!