Pillowy fried dough dusted with cinnamon and a touch of sweet paprika sugar, a Portuguese festive treat.
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.
Serves 6
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.
Cover and let rest 20 minutes at room temperature so the gluten relaxes and it's easier to stretch.
Heat frying oil in a deep pot to 175C (350F).
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.
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.
Let the dough rest fully before frying; skipping this makes it too elastic to stretch thin without tearing.
Stretch the dough thin, almost translucent in spots, so the fried pieces are light and crisp rather than doughy in the center.
Keep the oil steady at 175C (350F); too hot and the outside browns before the inside cooks, too cool and the dough absorbs oil.
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.
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.
Filhoses have deep roots in Portuguese festive baking, traditionally made for Christmas and Carnival across the country, with fillings and shapes varying widely by region, from pumpkin-enriched versions in the north to plain versions elsewhere. Similar fried dough traditions exist across the Iberian Peninsula and former Portuguese colonies.
Add flour a tablespoon at a time until it's manageable but still soft; a slightly sticky dough is normal for filhoses and helps keep the fried texture light.
Yes, it can rest covered in the fridge up to a few hours; bring it back to room temperature before stretching and frying.
The dough likely wasn't stretched thin enough before frying, or the oil wasn't hot enough, so the dough absorbed oil rather than puffing and crisping quickly.
Per serving (130g / 4.6 oz) · 6 servings total
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