Ingredients
Dough
- 400 gplain flour
- 7 ginstant yeast
- 50 gsugar
- 1 tspsalt
- 180 mlwarm milk
- 1egg
- 50 gbutter, melted
- 1 tspvanilla extract
To fry
- 1.5 litressunflower oil
Classic topping
- 100 gcaster sugar mixed with 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- lemon wedges
Other toppings
- chocolate hazelnut spread, banana slices, crushed peanuts, maple butter
Directions
- Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar and salt, then work in the warm milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla. Knead 8 minutes to a soft, smooth dough.
- Prove 1 hour until doubled, then knock back and divide into 8.
- Roll each piece into a ball, then stretch it by hand into a long oval about 20 cm by 10 cm, thinner in the middle than at the edges. Stretch rather than roll — the uneven hand-pulled shape is what makes it a beaver tail rather than a doughnut.
- Lay them on floured paper and rest 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil to 175°C (350°F).
- Lower one in at a time and fry 60–90 seconds a side, spooning hot oil over the top, until puffed and deep gold. They cook fast because they are thin.
- Lift out and drain for a few seconds, then press the hot pastry straight into the cinnamon sugar on both sides while the surface is still oily enough to hold it.
- Serve immediately with a lemon wedge to squeeze over — the classic combination — or spread with chocolate hazelnut and banana. They must be eaten hot; a cold BeaverTail is a leathery thing.
Technique
- Stretch by hand and keep the middle thin. A uniformly thick oval fries into a bun.
- Sugar them while hot and oily. Cooled pastry sheds sugar.
- 175°C (350°F) exactly — hotter and the outside colours before the inside cooks, cooler and they drink oil.
Substitutions
- Water plus 2 tbsp milk powder in place of milk.
- Baked at 200°C (400°F) for 12 minutes and brushed with butter, if you will not deep fry — a different thing, but edible.
Variations
- The Killaloe Sunrise, cinnamon sugar with lemon, the original Ottawa version.
- Elephant ears and fry bread, the closely related North American fairground pastries.
History
Grant and Pam Hooker founded the fried-dough chain in Ottawa in 1978; Barack Obama bought one during his 2009 visit to the capital.
Frequently asked questions
What is BeaverTails?
BeaverTails is a street food from Canada: fried dough pastry stretched flat, topped with cinnamon sugar. Grant and Pam Hooker founded the fried-dough chain in Ottawa in 1978; Barack Obama bought one during his 2009 visit to the capital.
How long does BeaverTails take to make?
BeaverTails takes 30 min plus 1 hr 30 min rising of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 pastries. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in BeaverTails?
Yes, within limits. Water plus 2 tbsp milk powder in place of milk. Baked at 200°C (400°F) for 12 minutes and brushed with butter, if you will not deep fry — a different thing, but edible.
What is the most important thing to get right in BeaverTails?
Roll each piece into a ball, then stretch it by hand into a long oval about 20 cm by 10 cm, thinner in the middle than at the edges. Stretch rather than roll — the uneven hand-pulled shape is what makes it a beaver tail rather than a doughnut.
