Greek Honey Puffs (Fouskakia)
Φουσκάκια FouskakiaSay it: foo-SKAH-kyah
Fouskakia are the little golden puffs of the Sporades islands, and on Alonissos they are a fixture of feast days, name days and the Easter table. A simple olive-oil dough is rolled into small balls, fried until it balloons into crisp, airy bubbles, then drenched in warm honey and scattered with walnuts and cinnamon. The contrast is the point: shatteringly crisp outside, soft and faintly scented with cinnamon within, sweet but never heavy.
Greek Honey Puffs (Fouskakia)
Φουσκάκια, Fouskakia
Pronounced foo-SKAH-kyah
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Level
- Easy
Also egg-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, nuts. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Dough
Frying and finishing
Method
Whisk the flour, salt and cinnamon in a wide bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in the olive oil, lukewarm water and tsipouro, then stir from the middle outward until a soft, shaggy dough forms.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 8 minutes, until smooth, supple and only slightly tacky. If it feels stiff, work in water a teaspoon at a time.
Cover the dough with a clean cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature, until it relaxes and no longer springs back when pressed.
Pinch off walnut-sized pieces, about 20 g each, and roll them into neat balls between your palms. Set them on a floured tray and press each one lightly with a fingertip so it is a thick little disc.
Pour the frying oil into a deep, heavy pan to a depth of about 2 inches (5 cm) and heat to 350°F (175°C). A small piece of dough should sizzle steadily and rise to the surface.
Fry the puffs in batches of five or six, turning them with a slotted spoon, for 2 to 3 minutes, until they puff up, turn deep golden and the surface looks crisp and blistered. Do not crowd the pan or they will stay pale and heavy.
Lift the puffs out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels while you fry the rest, keeping the finished ones in a single layer.
Warm the honey gently in a small pan until runny, then either dip each puff or lay them on a platter and drizzle the honey generously over the top. Scatter with chopped walnuts and a dusting of cinnamon and serve while still warm.
Arrange on a plate so the honey pools slightly at the bottom, and eat with your fingers.
Regional variants
On neighbouring islands the same puffs are sometimes finished with petimezi (grape-must syrup) and toasted sesame seeds instead of honey and walnuts, or simply rolled in granulated sugar mixed with cinnamon while still hot.
Cook's notes
- Keep the oil at a steady 350°F (175°C): too cool and the puffs drink oil, too hot and they brown before the center cooks.
- Warm honey coats in a thin, glossy layer; cold honey slides off in a heavy blob.
- Fry in small batches and let the oil come back up to temperature between them for even, round puffs.
Serve with
A cup of strong Greek coffee or a glass of cold water, and a small dish of extra honey on the side.
Make ahead and storage
The dough can rest, covered, in the fridge for up to 8 hours; fry just before serving, as the puffs soften quickly once honeyed.
