Chef Adjepong’s Thanksgiving Dessert Recipe: Bofrot West African Style

With Thanksgiving only a few hours away, one of our favorite African chefs, Eric Adjepong, shares one of his best dessert recipes with us. If you are looking to win the award for “Most Delicious and Creative Dessert,” this recipe will certainly win the trophy.

Ghanaian Bofrot, also known as Puff-Puff in many West African countries, is a sweet and delicious fried dough that has been one of my personal favorites since I was a kid. As a personal Chef, I have spent a lot of time conceptualizing a modern version of some of our favorite African dishes. This dish happens to be one of my finest and favorites to make. Impress your guests on Thanksgiving with this recipe.

Here is what you will need:
1 cup pastry flour
1 cup all purpose flour plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons of yeast
1/3 cup of lukewarm water
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of fresh grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon of ground cloves
2 tablespoons of milk
Oil for frying

Method:
1. Stir yeast in 1/3 cup of warm water, then stir in 1 teaspoon of sugar and allow it to stand for 10 to 15 minutes. (Once yeast is fully active, mixture should be doubled in volume).

2. Thoroughly sift the flours, then mix with the butter, sugar, nutmeg and cloves until fully incorporated.

3. Stir in the yeast then slowly add in your milk and water until the dough comes together. (Dough should be a little sticky to the touch).

4. Dust flour on a clean surface and knead the dough until smooth making sure it is no longer sticky, kneading for the smoothest dough should take 5-10 minutes.

5. Cover the dough with a damp towel and allow for it to rise, this will take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on the temperature and humidity in the room. Once dough has risen, lightly punch the dough with your fist to deflate.

6. Dust some flour on a baking sheet then cut the dough into small pieces to be rolled into a ball. Allow the dough to rise once more for the 20-30 minutes.

7. Using a deep fryer, fry the small dough balls at 375*F. Rotate the bofrot while frying to get even browning throughout. Remove from the oil and let drain on a paper before serving.

Enjoy!

Learn more about Chef Adjepong: www.chefadjepong.com