Portuguese Filhoses (Fried Dough) with Sweet Paprika-Spiced Sugar

About This Recipe

Filhoses are a traditional Portuguese fried dough, similar in spirit to a doughnut but flatter and often irregularly shaped, made especially around Christmas and Carnival across Portugal, with regional versions varying from pumpkin-enriched dough to plain yeasted versions. The dough is enriched with eggs and a touch of orange zest or brandy, giving the fried pieces a light, slightly chewy interior beneath a crisp fried exterior. This version dusts the warm fried filhoses in a cinnamon sugar with a small, unusual pinch of sweet paprika mixed in, which sounds unexpected but adds a faint smoky-sweet warmth that plays surprisingly well against the fried dough's richness, a modern twist some home bakers have started experimenting with. The dough needs to rest before frying so the gluten relaxes, making it easier to stretch into thin, irregular sheets. Fried in batches at a moderate oil temperature, filhoses puff and blister unevenly, which is part of their charm, they're meant to look rustic and homemade, not uniform.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 3 cupsall-purpose flour
• 3eggs
• 0.33 cupgranulated sugar
• 0.25 cupolive oil
• 1 tbsporange zest
• 2 tbspbrandy or orange juice
• 1 tspbaking powder
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt
• 4 cupsvegetable oil(for frying)
• 0.5 cupgranulated sugar(for coating)
• 1 tbspground cinnamon(for coating)
• 0.25 tspsweet paprika(for coating)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Beat eggs and sugar until pale. Add olive oil, orange zest and brandy. Fold in flour, baking powder and salt until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.

2. 2

   Rest the dough

   Cover and let rest 20 minutes at room temperature so the gluten relaxes and it's easier to stretch.

3. 3

   Heat the oil

   Heat frying oil in a deep pot to 175C (350F).

4. 4

   Fry the filhoses

   Pull off golf-ball-size pieces of dough, stretch thin, and lower carefully into the hot oil. Fry 2-3 minutes per side until golden and puffed.

5. 5

   Coat and serve

   Drain on paper towels. Mix sugar, cinnamon and paprika, then toss the warm filhoses in the mixture until well coated. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Variations

• •

  Add a small amount of mashed pumpkin to the dough for filhoses de abóbora, a popular regional variation.

• •

  Skip the paprika for a classic, purely cinnamon-sugar coating.

• •

  Drizzle with honey instead of the sugar coating for a stickier, richer finish.

Storage

Best eaten the day they're made. Store loosely covered at room temperature up to 1 day; they lose their crisp texture quickly once refrigerated.

Frequently Asked Questions