Diples

Submitted by Jostlori

"Having had these at various Greek church festivals over the years, I never knew what these were called! These are tasty little fried pastry rolls with a sweet honey and cinnamon topping. They take a bit of work, but are so delicious! Worth the effort..."

 

• Ready In: 55mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Yields: 24 Pieces

ingredients

• SYRUP

• 1 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons water
• cinnamon, ground
• 1⁄2 cup walnuts, ground

• PASTRY

• 5 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 1⁄4 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 2 1⁄2 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• vegetable oil, for frying (or shortening)

directions

1. To make the syrup, combine the honey and the water and heat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave.
2. Sift the flour with the baking powder into a bowl and set aside.
3. Using a mixer, beat the egg yolks and whole egg on high speed until the eggs are thick and smooth and the color is light yellow, about 4 -5 minutes.
4. Combine the melted butter, orange juice, and brandy. With the mixer running, add to the egg mixture until incorporated.
5. Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough comes together and doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl.
6. If you have a dough hook for your mixer, you can attach it and knead the dough with the machine. If not, turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand. Continue kneading the dough until it has a smooth and elastic texture, about 5 – 8 minutes.
7. Separate the dough into four pieces, and let it rest, covered with plastic wrap, for about 30 minutes.
8. After the dough has rested, roll out each section into rectangles. The dough should be very thin, about 1/16th of an inch thick (the thickness of a piece of cardboard).
9. Using a knife or rolling cutter, cut the dough into sheets that are about 5 inches wide and about 10 inches long. Lay the cut pieces on a tray separated by wax paper sheets to prevent them from sticking together.
10. To fry, you will need a pan with a wide bottom and a depth of about 4 – 5 inches. The oil will need to about 3 inches deep.
11. The Diples cook quickly so be sure to have your ingredients, tools and dough strips in place.
12. Heat the oil or vegetable shortening until shimmering but not smoking hot. If the oil is too hot the diples will cook too quickly, making it difficult to roll them.
13. Place a strip of dough in the hot oil. Using two large cooking forks, hold the end furthest away from you and roll the sheet away from you. You can pierce the sheet with the fork or simply place the edge between the tines of the fork.
14. Hold the roll in the oil until both sides are a light golden color.
15. Drain and remove the rolls to a tray layered with paper towels and stand them on their ends to prevent them from becoming mushy.
16. Place the diples on a serving platter and drizzle with the syrup. Sprinkle with ground walnuts and ground cinnamon.
17. To keep the diples crisp, do not add the syrup until just before you are ready to serve.