Special occasions, Sweets, Vegetarian

Italian fried pastries – Bugie di carnevale

A typical sweet crisp pastry made out of dough, usually prepared during the carnival period. Bugie (that in Italian means "lies") is just one of the many names that these sweets have: they are called chiacchiere in Lombardy and Campania, fiocchetti in Romagna, grostoi in Trentino, cenci in Tuscany and frappe, frappole o sfrappole in central Italy. This is the special version of my mum, prepared without butter and fried in sunflower oil. So crispy and light - a must try!

Prep time: 40 min + 30 for resting
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 hour and 30 min (including resting time)

$4-6 total*

about 100 bugie

Ingredients

500 g (4 cups) unbleached all purpose flour
50 g (1/4 cup) tablespoon granulated sugar
2 whole eggs
a pinch of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)
50 g (1/4 cup) safflower oil
Lemon zest (1 lemon)
30 ml (2 tbsp) Grappa, Rum, Marsala, Sambuca, or Tequila
100 ml (1/2 cup) lukewarm water

Safflower oil for frying
Powdered sugar for topping

Preparation

Sift the flour and add sugar and salt. Mix to combine.

Make a well in the middle, and add eggs, safflower oil, lemon zest, and the liquor of your choice.

Mix well until the dough starts to come together in small pieces.

Add the lukewarm water and knead for about five minutes, until smooth.

Form the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.

Sprinkle a working surface with flour and cut the dough into 3 pieces.

Start to roll one of the pieces with a pasta maker until it is as its thinnest. Repeat the folding process preferable 2 times on each setting to create the dough’s bubbly texture when it’s fried.

Cut the thin dough into rhombuses measuring about 6 x 4 cm (2.3 x 1.5 inch) with a serrated pastry wheel.

While shaping the first batch of bugie, heat the oil in a small frying pan (I usually cook just 3-4 of them at a time).

Fry the bugie in batches until they become golden brown and crispy, about 30-40 seconds per side, depending on the oil. Make sure the oil does not get warmer than 340 degrees F (170 degrees C), or you will burn the bugie.

Remove the bugie from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer on a dish lined with paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

Continue rolling, shaping, and frying the rest of the dough.

Once the bugie are cold, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Tips & notes

My mum uses Grappa (a traditional Italian spirit made from the pressed seeds and skins of grapes), but I only had Tequila at home, and the result was amazing!
Instead of safflower oil, you can also use sunflower oil. Do not use extra-virgin olive oil as the result would not be so good.
If you don’t have a kitchen thermometer, try dipping a small piece of dough in the oil. If it starts to bubble immediately, the oil is ready. If not, let the oil heat for a bit longer.
The key secret for the best bugie is to sprinkle some hot oil on top of each dough piece immediately after putting it in the oil. Use a spoon to scoop some oil from the pan and pour it over the dough. If your bugia does not inflate or has bubbles, turn it immediately to give it a try on the other side!
Make sure you use organic lemon free from pesticides before grating the zest.