Koeksisters

Ingredients

• 4 cups (500g) cake flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp cold butter, cubed
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup (180ml) milk
• oil for deep frying
• 4 cups (800g) sugar
• 2 cups (500ml) water
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Before you cook

• The night before, have the syrup ingredients measured out and ready.
• The next day, have the flour sifted and butter cold before starting the dough.

Steps

1. The night before, combine the sugar, water, cream of tartar, cinnamon stick and ginger in a saucepan.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves.
3. Reduce the heat and simmer the syrup for 8 minutes without stirring.
4. Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
5. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate it overnight until ice-cold.
6. The next day, sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
7. Rub the cold butter into the flour with your fingertips until it looks like coarse crumbs.
8. Mix the beaten egg into the flour.
9. Add the milk a little at a time, mixing until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough.
10. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead it for 3 minutes until smooth.
11. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
12. Roll the dough out to about 1cm thick on a floured surface.
13. Cut the dough into rectangles roughly 8cm by 4cm.
14. Cut three parallel slits lengthwise into each rectangle, leaving one short end uncut so the strips stay joined.
15. Plait the three strips loosely, as you would braid hair, and pinch the ends together to seal.
16. Set the plaited pieces aside on a tray.
17. Pour the ice-cold syrup into a wide bowl and nestle that bowl inside a larger bowl of ice.
18. Heat oil in a deep pot to 180°C (350°F).
19. Lower two or three plaited dough pieces into the hot oil.
20. Fry, turning once, until deep golden brown all over, about 3 minutes.
21. Lift the fried koeksisters out with a slotted spoon and drop them straight into the ice-cold syrup.
22. Press them gently under the syrup for about 30 seconds so they soak it up.
23. Lift them out onto a wire rack set over a tray to let the excess syrup drip off.
24. Repeat the frying and dunking with the remaining dough pieces in batches.
25. Serve the koeksisters cold or at room temperature.