Lángos are popular Hungarian street food of fried potato and yeast dough shaped like a round flat bread with a small well in the center. It is served topped with different toppings, but the most popular topping is sour cream and grated cheese (like kaskaval from the Balkans.)
In Israel, some Jewish families serve these for Hanukkah with the simple dairy topping.
Hungarian Lángos
Course: Street food, Pastries, breadCuisine: HungarianDifficulty: medium15
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minutesLángos are popular Hungarian street food of fried potato and yeast dough shaped like a round flat bread with a small well in the center. It is served topped with different toppings, but the most popular topping is sour cream and grated cheese (like kaskaval from the Balkans.)
I highly recommend using SAF Instant yeast (it’s available online and can keep for months in the fridge.)
When using instant yeast, you should skip the process of proofing the yeast.
If you’re using active dry yeast, start the recipe by proofing the yeast and continue as usual.
INGREDIENTS
3 medium-large Yukon gold potato
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for salted water
1 lb. all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
5 teaspoons instant dried yeast (or active dry yeast, see note above)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup warm milk or water
Corn, olive or canola oil for frying
- For the topping
¾ cup sour cream
1 minced garlic clove
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup grated kaskaval, pecorino or mild cheddar
¼ cup chopped green onion
DIRECTIONS
- Peel potatoes and cup to 1 inch dice. Put in a saucepan, cover with room temperature water and add ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low simmer, cover saucepan and cook for about 12 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Transfer to a colander and let cool for 10 minutes. You can wash potatoes in cold water to expedite the cooling process.
- Mash potatoes with a fork and measure 1 cup to use in the recipe.
- If you’re using DRY ACTIVE YEAST, skip to instruction number 4.
If you’re using INSTANT YEAST keep reading: When potatoes are just warm, put flour, yeast and sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with flat beater and mix briefly. Add milk and 1 cup mashed potato and mix on medium speed for 6 minutes. Transfer to a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place for an hour, until dough has doubled its volume.
Skip to instruction number 5.
- If you’re using DRY ACTIVE YEAST you need to proof it first. When potatoes are just warm, put ½ cup warm milk, the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a glass and stir briefly. Let stand for 5-10 minutes until it foams. Put flour, yeast mixture and 1 teaspoon sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with flat beater and mix briefly. Add the rest of the milk and 1 cup mashed potato and mix on medium speed for 6 minutes. Transfer to a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place for an hour, until dough has doubled its volume.
- In the meantime prepare the topping. Mix sour cream, garlic and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- Dust a worktop with flour and put dough on top. Dust dough with a little more flour, then use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch dough to about ⅓ inch thickness. Use a 3” cookie cutter or glass to cut rounds of dough. Keep those on a flour-dusted baking sheet, covered with towel, for 20 minutes, to rise again.
- Put ⅛ inch oil in a non stick pan over medium heat. Prepare a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towel, and have the lángos tray next to you. When oil is hot, stretch a little each lángos with your hands to make it larger and make the center thiner and gently put in the oil. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry on each side for 3-4 minutes, until golden-brown, then transfer to the paper-towel layered baking sheet. You can poke the thin center with a fork, if it inflates too much. Repeat with the rest of the lángos.
- Serve lángos with a spoonful of sour cream in the center, topped with grated cheese and green onion.
- You can keep the dough in the freezer after the first rise. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before continuing with the recipe as directed.
