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Nigerian buns
Buns: Lagos's dense, crunchy fried dough balls, made with baking powder, not yeast
Buns are the sturdier cousin of puff puff: there is no yeast, so the dough is mixed and fried right away, and the result is a craggy, deep brown ball with a crunchy shell and a dense, cakey, nutmeg-scented centre. Lagos street vendors sell them in paper bags at bus stops and school gates, and they travel well in a lunch box. Children love them with a cold drink. Oil that is too hot is the usual mistake, giving a dark shell around a doughy middle; break the first one open to check. Chef's tip: keep the dough thick and scoopable, not pourable, so the buns stay round and get their rough, crunchy surface.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 4 oz sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¾ oz buttersoft
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup milkroughly
- 4 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep frying
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, 4 oz sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp ground nutmeg and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Rub in 1 ¾ oz butter with your fingertips until it disappears.
4 minStep 3: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a deep pan to 325°F, when a pinch of dough sinks then rises slowly with steady bubbles.
8 minStep 4: Scoop rough tablespoons of dough into the oil, 6–8 at a time. Fry for 8–10 minutes, turning often, until deep golden brown all over. Break open the first one to check the centre is cooked and cakey.
20 minStep 5: Drain on paper towels and cool for 10 minutes before eating; they firm up as they cool. Keep in a tin for 2 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nigerian buns take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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