Krostule

Ingredients

Dough

• 400 gplain flour
• 3egg yolks
• 1whole egg
• 50 gsugar
• 50 gbutter, melted
• 3 tbsprakija or brandy
• zest of 1 lemon
• 100 mlsour cream
• a pinch of salt

To fry

• oil or lard, for deep frying

To finish

• icing sugar

Directions

1. Beat the eggs, yolks and sugar, then add the melted butter, sour cream, rakija, lemon zest and salt.
2. The brandy is the working part rather than the flavouring. Alcohol evaporates in the hot fat and leaves the dough crisper, and it also stops the strips absorbing oil.
3. Work in the flour to a firm dough and knead it for 10 minutes.
4. Keep it firm. A soft dough cannot be rolled thin enough and it puffs into something bready rather than shattering.
5. Rest it 30 minutes under a cloth.
6. Roll it out as thin as you possibly can, until the surface shows through it.
7. Thinness decides everything here. Krostule should snap and dissolve, and a millimetre too thick gives a doughnut.
8. Cut it into strips about 3 cm wide and 15 cm long, with a fluted wheel if you have one.
9. Cut a slit down the middle of each strip and pull one end through it to make the knot.
10. The pull-through knot is the shape and it also stops the strip curling into a tube in the oil.
11. Heat the fat to 180°C (355°F).
12. Fry a few at a time for 30 to 45 seconds a side, until pale gold and blistered.
13. Take them out pale, because they colour further as they drain and browned krostule tastes bitter.
14. Drain them on a rack rather than paper.
15. Dust heavily with icing sugar while still warm.
16. They are Carnival and Christmas baking along the Dalmatian coast and in Istria, and every household claims a slightly different knot.
17. The same fried twisted dough runs across Central and Eastern Europe under a dozen names, including Belarusian khvorost, Danish klejner and Polish faworki.

Technique

• They go soft within a day and are at their best within hours.
• A pasta machine gets the dough thinner than a rolling pin ever will.
• Lard gives a cleaner, crisper result than oil and is traditional.

Substitutions

• Any clear spirit, or grappa, in place of rakija.
• Crème fraîche instead of sour cream.

Variations

• Cut as plain ribbons without the knot.
• With a little vanilla or orange zest.
• Khvorost and klejner, the same pastry further north.

History

Dalmatian and Istrian festival sweet made for weddings and Carnival, related to Venetian galani.

Frequently asked questions

What is Krostule?

Krostule is a dessert from Croatia: knotted strips of fried dough scented with brandy and lemon, dusted with sugar. Dalmatian and Istrian festival sweet made for weddings and Carnival, related to Venetian galani.

How long does Krostule take to make?

Krostule takes 30 min plus 30 min resting of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 40. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Krostule?

Yes, within limits. Any clear spirit, or grappa, in place of rakija. Crème fraîche instead of sour cream.

What is the most important thing to get right in Krostule?

The brandy is the working part rather than the flavouring. Alcohol evaporates in the hot fat and leaves the dough crisper, and it also stops the strips absorbing oil.