Pisi

• servings: Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

DOUGH

3 cups (390g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon (2g) kosher salt

2¼ teaspoons (9g) baking powder

1 large egg

¼ cup (62g) whole-milk yogurt

¼ cup (55g) whole milk

½ cup (110g) water, at room temperature (75" to 80°F)

PISI

Neutral oil, for deep-frying

Powdered sugar, for serving

Apricot jam, for serving

Directions

Make the dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder until fully incorporated. In another medium bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, milk, and water. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Using your hands or a bowl scraper, mix for 2 to 3 minutes, until the dough comes together.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Using your hands, perform the basic kneading technique (see page 22) and knead for 4 to 5 minutes, until the dough is almost smooth. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel and let rest on the work surface for 15 to 20 minutes.

Knead the dough for another 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth. (Alternatively, you can knead the dough in a stand mixer on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl.) Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Make the pisi: Line a plate with paper towels and set near the stove.

Uncover the dough and use a sharp knife or bench scraper to divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Cup your hands around both sides of one piece of dough and roll into a quick ball. Repeat with the other piece. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying

Pour 2½ inches of oil into a large pot and heat the oil over medium heat to 350°F.

Working with one ball at a time (and keeping the other one covered), place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll into an 8- to 9-inch round. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into 2-inch squares, or cut into 3-inch squares and then cut on the diagonal for triangles. The squares don't have to be perfect, some edges will be rounded and that's totally okay.

Working in batches of 8 to 10 (to avoid crowding), carefully place the dough pieces in the hot oil and carefully swirl the pot lightly a few times to cover each piece with oil. This will ensure that your dough cooks more evenly and has a crispy outside and air-filled inside. Continue to fry for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring periodically with a straining spoon so each side is golden brown and cooked well. Remove to the paper towels.

Dust with powdered sugar and serve with apricot

jam while warm.

Notes

Notes * The oil-swirling process is very important to make the proper balloon-y texture, but it is also very important to be careful not to burn yourself. I always use a pot that has handles on both sides and leave the bottom on the burner as I carefully move the pot in a circle. When I was little, this step always felt like magic to me-watching my mom swirl the oil as the dough all of a sudden bloomed into a beautiful puffy pastry.

* You can also serve pisi without powdered sugar, as a savory dish with feta cheese and a tomato and cucumber salad, which is one of my favorite ways to eat this.

* If you have leftovers, I'm sorry, but you have to share-these are never as delicious the next day!